Secretly Foxy
by dweirdizme
Summary: No need to mention it was perfect-boy Minamino we were talking about. The dilemma sounded bad enough without it. And I was not ridiculous to spout that I was going to live at Shuichi's house for a month. Only heaven knew the fuss it would cause.
1. Preface

_**Secretly Foxy**_ by _Dweirdizme_

This is a work of fiction. Any references to characters, places and events are used fictitiously and owned by Yoshihiro Togashi. Other characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, locales or events is entirely coincidental, and is not intended by the author.

_Anime: Yu Yu Hakusho_

_Genre: Romance-Drama, Supernatural, Humor_

_Summary: _When Yotsuba's mother decided to go to Vegas, Yotsuba was compelled to stay at the house of her mother's best friend, Shiori Minamino. The problem is Yotsuba had secretly dislike Shiori's gorgeous red-head son, Shuichi, since she was a kid.

_So how the hell will she be able to deal with it—especially when the supernatural decided to join in the whole situation?_

* * *

_Lovers and madmen have such seething brains,_

_Such shaping fantasies, that apprehend_

_More than cool reasons ever comprehends…_

_Theseus_

_A Midsummer's Night Dream_

_William Shakespeare_

* * *

_PREFACE_

_CHAOS, _a word described by the Merriam Webster Thesaurus as a condition in which things are out of their normal, proper places or relationships—a perfect word that could describe my life at this moment.

You see, I never wished for a perfect life just a peaceful one. Unfortunately, fate could be _so_ ironic when it wished to. Instead of giving me the serenity I wanted, it gave me its contrary—chaos. Propelled it directly into my path while trusting blithely in my fragile capabilities to overcome it…

But seriously, who can? How can a normal human being keep his sanity when the world suddenly lurched and altered everything? That my once loathed childhood acquaintance, Shuichi, whom I knew all my life, wasn't a human _but_ a demon—_a fox demon_ named Kurama. And apparently, I was a hot commodity now to a horde of demons who sought their revenge on him…since they thought I was his some kind of girlfriend.

_Sheesh…_I never liked fantasy and never did I wished to live in a magical world where demons and evil imps exist—much less for a fox demon as a protector. I was never one for the supernatural and yet life gave it to me.

And the worst of all was even though I knew my life was distractingly abnormal now as impossible as it could get, I couldn't put to blame the person that led me to this, Shuichi/Kurama. And I couldn't even understand why.

Had I already lost my mind? With all the out-of-the-world craziness and anomalies happening around me…_it was possible…_

One thing I knew, though, I had to find out.


	2. Chapter 1: Birth of Chaos

**1. Birth of Chaos**

_SOMETIMES,_ you can pinpoint the exact moment in your life when everything started to go wrong. For me, it was the ill-fated day the optometrist declared I was near-sighted and was compelled to wear eyeglasses at the age of five. A year later, Dad left Mom. I was six, too young to understand what was happening. At first, I thought it was because of my stupid thick eyeglasses and that Dad didn't want a four-eyed nerd daughter like me. I cried and begged him to stay, swore I'd be good and take the eyeglasses off, but nothing I said or did avail to make him stay. Dad packed his clothes and bags and kissed me goodbye.

Later on, I found out that he left us for the reason called infidelity and that there was a certain term for men like my Dad, "jerks".

Years followed, and then Mom met this oofy, fine-looking entity named Ken. Mom dated him for a few months and before I knew it they were already together. Two years after, they were engaged, and things changed again. We moved into Ken's fine-looking house and Mom had a hard time convincing me to call Ken 'Dad' rather than just calling him Uncle Ken—or Ken, and became a bit too much obsessed with him too that she mostly gave her time of the day to him—sometimes forgetting the fact that her only daughter was also growing to a teenager with teenage problems in the same time. After that, their marriage followed. And then _doom_…

_Doom!_

_Doom!_

The worst of all came after—the Damned of all the damned.

Mom, Ken and I, were eating breakfast when she announced the horrifying news—little did I know that _that _will be the pinnacle turning point of my peaceful life to chaos.

"Yotsuba," she started. "I have something to tell you."

"What?" I mumbled, not looking up from my cereal bowl, sure that she will be thwarted to see that I was not wearing my eyeglasses again. We had some serious discussion about it these past days. I told her I didn't need the horrendous thing anymore but she still insisted I wear it like any persnickety mother would.

My mother looks (and acts) nothing alike me. Except from our dark-brown hair and eyes—mine a shade darker than her—my Mom and I appeared to be polar opposites. Said I inherited a lot of genes from my father.

"Ken and I are going to Vegas this week," she announced, animatedly. "We're going to stay there for a month at least. Can you believe it, the hospital allowed him to take a long break."

"Wow. That's great, Mom," I exclaimed, my face full of false surprise.

Fact: Never had I been surprise by any of my mother's announcements, petty or grandiose, either for the reason she was so predictable or I was so used to them.

"I bet you blackmailed them," I said, keeping it light. "What's with the sudden vacation?"

_As if I didn't know the reason why._

Like, I said, nothing surprising. This sudden vacation to Vegas, no doubt, was one of my mother's sly tricks to spend some precious time alone with her beloved Ken—without a seventeen-year-old teenage daughter glowering at their über-some display of affection. It was also a way to get Ken away from the pretty, sexy nurses in the hospital which had their eyes on him.

"Ken's all stressed out with his work. You don't know how hard it is being a surgeon," she pointed out, her face towards Ken instead to me. "I thought he needed a vacation and so I called the travel agency last week. And my, did they offer me tickets at a great price. I couldn't say no to. It's all very spur-of-the-moment, Yotsuba. We're flying this Saturday."

_Oh, a spur-of-the-moment, eh? Or a perfectly planned one?_ I wanted to muse out.

"It's like a second honeymoon, Yotsuba, dear." Fine-looking Ken spoke out, putting down his newspaper and letting me behold his wrath of weapons: an ideal face and a stunning smile.

Ken was gorgeous—there was no doubt about it. Calling him fine-looking was just my glacial understatement. His flawless-chiseled face, green melt-worthy eyes and well-built athletic body could easily make him the next _Sport Illustrated_ cover guy.

Ken's ten years younger than my Mom, though. But at any rate, she didn't care as long as she was in love. And truthfully, the attraction _remained _a mystery to me. Not that I was saying my Mom wasn't beautiful because she was. It was just the deep understanding and affection the two have for each other despite the gap between their ages that baffled me.

"Your Mom planned it all," Ken continued, his smile widening. "Isn't she the sweetest thing ever?"

Mom dramatically blushed. And I had to keep my eyes from rolling.

"Finish," I declared, pushing the bowl away from me.

One more flattering speech from Ken and a blush from Mom, I was sure of throwing up.

"You two lovebirds enjoy then. And don't use the house as collateral in the blackjack table, okay? I'm planning to reside here until college."

If the two badly wanted a vacation then let them be. They deserved it anyway. And it's _better_ to be miles away from your folks when their hormones decided to kick in.

I stood up and yanked the cereal bowl away from the table. I dumped it into the sink and started the water, humming to myself as I waited for the water to fill the basin—trying to ignore the giggles and soft murmurings behind my back as best as I could.

Being in love was complicated _but_ being in the presence of overly-enamored lovers was worse. I believed there was no couple on Earth more flagrant about their relationship than Ken and Mom. It wouldn't be a problem to me if it wasn't so disgusting.

"Yotsuba, one more thing," my mother managed to say between the paroxysms of her giggles.

"_W_hat?" I responded, working to hide my irritation.

"You're going to stay at Shiori's house while we're in Vegas," she finished.

I felt my face went blank—probably as blank as my thoughts were. The cereal bowl in my hands slipped through my numb fingers dropped in the full sink and slopped me with dishwater.

_O-kay, that _onewas unexpected.

"What!"

"Why?" my mother asked and I could feel the intensity of her eyes boring into my back. "You don't have a problem with Shiori, right? You like her."

Auntie Shiori was my mother's best friend since college. She was a very, very lovely woman. The sweetest person I had ever met in my entire life. Of course, I liked her, who wouldn't. I had no problem with her_ u_nfortunately, though, with her older son, _Shuichi_, yes.

You see, I _never_ liked the guy. I utterly resented him, an aversion that had taken root way back when we were kids. Mom and Auntie Shiori had thrown us together a lot during my visits in their house to keep us busy while they baked and chat. I was too shy back then but I was willing to make friends apparently Shuichi _wasn't_. He _would_ shy back away from me whenever I was within a five meter radius ofhim like I had cooties. It was really strange considering that I _didn't_ do anything bad to him for me to deserve that kind of treatment. At first, I ignored it, hoping he would get over it. Unfortunately, it didn't. It was my kindness and patience that had worn out. Later on, I realized it was useless trying. He hated me and that was it—nothing was going to change. And so I decided the feeling should be the same. It was fair. He was an outright biased and I just had to deal with it.

Years passed and our cold treatment didn't warm up. We never treat each other more than strangers whenever we saw each other—up _until now_. So _could _you imagine what kind of life would I have if I stay there in their house with that kind of relationship we had? I only shudder to think.

"No, I don't have a problem with Auntie Shiori," I said. It was the truth. "Still don't you think it's quite inappropriate, Mom. She's newly married. She has a new husband now and a son. I don't want to crowd besides, I can just stay here and take care of the house. I'm sure I can do that. It's just for a month anyway. What's the worst thing that could—"

Mom cleared her throat, interrupting me.

"So you think it will better if I leave you alone in this house? Seriously, Yotsuba, are you thinking? You can't even cook your own food, clean your own closet and properly wash your clothes. I doubt if you'll survive a week."

I frowned. What an exceptional way to make your daughter shut up.

"And furthermore, it's already settled," Mom said, catching my attention.

"What is_ settled_?" I demanded abruptly, not liking where things seemed to be heading to.

"Your stay over at Shiori's house," she answered, wryly. "I went to her yesterday and talked about it. She seemed very pleased about your visit."

The bowl which I was scrubbing longer and vigorously than necessary dropped again from my hands as I felt the blood rushed into my face. My teeth clenched together with an audible snap.

_Why on Hades name did she do that without referring to my opinion first?_

It took me a minute to find my lungs and breathe. I wanted to scream but the rational part of my brain had controlled it. I had to relax, or at least, try to relax. A sudden throw of fit certainly wouldn't suite in the conversation.

I gripped my hands on the countertop, though just in case.

"Don't you want to see Shiori? It's been a long time since you last saw her," my mother continued. "She _missed_ you. She was thoroughly disappointed when you weren't there in her wedding last July. You should be ashamed. The Minaminos are practically family, Yotsuba."

"I had a term paper due that specific day," I answered, biting of the words as I tried to control my voice.

"That's why I think it's a great opportunity for you to visit her. Make amends, young girl."

"Yup, and stay there at their house to make a _nuisance_ of myself. Come on, Mom. I'm not even her relative. Again, it's inappropriate."

"She wants you to, silly girl. She absolutely adores you. She treats you like her own daughter."

_Yeah. And Shuichi _utterly_ treats me like a taboo._

"She's very excited about your upcoming stay over. She was even starting to clean their guest room when I left their house yesterday."

I winced at her words, hating the wave of guilt that easily swept through me. Aside from my deep-rooted abhorrence to Shuichi, only heaven knew how much I hated these guilt trips as well. I was such a sucker for it. And the fact that my mother could easily use it to her advantage made it worse.

I couldn't help the indecisiveness staining my obstinacy. There was _this_ certain conflict now building in my chest: Would I really refuse to stay at Auntie Shiori's house because her son despised me even after all these years she remained kind to me?

However, the emerging hesitancy was easily damaged by Mom next words.

"And Shuichi _is_ there. And my, how that boy grown into such a gallant young lad," she gushed with an almost school girl giggle that had my eyes rolling. "Smart and _good-looking_ too—Shiori told me how he always aces the exams. He's studying at your school too, right? Isn't _that_ wonderful? You'll have the chance to walk with him on your way to school for a month. The young man's _perfect_ for a boyfriend material, you know."

_Great. Now she's matchmaking me and Shuichi._

Sorry for her but I would never be interested in any love/hate kind of relationship—not now or ever. And furthermore, it was Shuichi were talking about here and the only relationship I could build with that person was a hate/snub kind, nothing more.

"_Not_ going to buy it, Mom," I snapped at her as I harshly grabbed the dishtowel near the sink.

"We'll _see_ about that."

"Fine, then bet," I replied curtly.

She was the most stubborn person ever, and though I wanted to be furious with her I couldn't afford the time, I had to leave for school—and happily escaped this tormenting hour for that matter…only it had to wait for a minute. I needed to settle this first.

I pulled the plug out of the sink and mustered up all the courage I had as I spun around to meet my mother's gaze.

I took a deep breath and tried to make my tone more reasonable, "Mom, I think it's best if I just stay here in the house while you're in Vegas. Not that I don't want to stay at Auntie Shiori's house. Of course, that would be lovely"—I involuntarily grimaced at the words—"But things aren't the same as before. Like I said, she's newly married. I don't even know her new husband or her new son. It's…it's awkward. It makes your idea…complicated—but I'm not disrespecting your judgments," I amended as soon as I saw her eyes tightened, "I know, I know. You're my Mom and your just doing what you think is right. I just want you to hear my opinions…"

_The opinions you didn't bother to hear in the first place._

"…Because I know you're going to consider them," I said with a smile.

And to my surprise it did work because my mother's face contorted in a grimace in what could only be a sign of hesitation—but I should have known better. Because after a second, her expression changed, her jaw tightened stubbornly and she scowled at me implicating that she was sure of her decision and that was to send me straight to the fiery pits of hell next week—at the Minaminos house.

I bit down my bottom lip, fighting the urge to pout as I walked out of the kitchen. I had to leave. I couldn't deal with this conversation anymore. I had enough for one day—or rather, this morning, because I was sure of broaching this topic again later. And hope luck _will_ favor my side.

"I wish you'll still consider though," I called over my shoulder as I reached the living room, grabbed my leather bag and went hastily out of the house before she could react.


	3. Chapter 2: Mull Over

**2. Mull Over**

_IN MY HASTE_ to get away from my mother, I ended up being one of the first students to school. Before it would have been an irritating thing to boringly wait for long before the first class start—considered that patience wasn't really my forte—however, in this ill-fated day, it became the contrary. I was thankful for it, grateful for the free time it provided, knowing that I can use it to ruminate and conjure up solutions for my problem.

Plans, schemes, bogus excuses, Machiavellian plots, sneaky ruse—it didn't matter how despicable my solution would be as long as it would work out.

Suddenly, the little kitten felt the urged to become a tiger.

When I entered the classroom, a few 'early bird' students were already there, talking in quiet voices and horsing around, waiting for the class to start. I didn't bother to greet them unlike proper courtesy demanded. I quickly went to my chair, at the fourth row beside the window, and settled myself, letting my books spill across the table—one or two of them fell down which I ignored. Who cares about academic materials when I was on my way to hell?

I sighed and closed my eyes shut, and started weighing the matters in my head.

_Main objective: to find a way to avoid my stay-over at Minaminos house 'whatever the cause'._

_Limited time: till this Saturday. Specifically four days from now._

I pressed my fingers to my temples and let my mind work a mile a minute, mulling over. Certain ideas did bump into my head, both rational and irrational—and some petrifying absurd, I had to admit. But out of the spectacular brainstorm, three options stood out—options that were practical enough for me and for my guts to handle.

Option one: To carry out a minor accident like falling down on one plight of stairs or to knock my head fairly on the ground with an intentional slip resulting to a concussion. An idiotic and masochistic plan it was—adding the possibility that I might end up being sent to the hospital—but with the fuss it could bring, surely it would stop Ken and Mom from going and that was what I needed. No vacation. No stay-over. No problem.

And I was sure this deliberate mishap wouldn't be suspected—especially if it involved a terrible maladroit like me.

Furthermore, to take this option into deeper thought, it seemed to be the best one…taking into account that once I decided to act upon it, the same instant the atonement follow—the injuries, to be specific. That would somehow ease my conscience for deceiving my mother.

Option two: To ruse a severe depression syndrome. The type of depression that could develop in a couple of days and one I could easily feign. I could even drag my friends to take part on it. If I knew them too well, they might even enjoy it. And once Mom fell for it, she wouldn't have the heart to leave me behind. The only problem was if Mom decided to fetch a shrink. Definitely I should know more about depressions to be sure I could answer the shrink's questions—or else I'm busted. So that meant until my research was done, this option remains doubtful.

And then there was option three (the option recommended by my conscience): to talk to my mother heart-to-heart and believed that our mother-and-daughter bond was strong enough to waver my mother's pigheadedness.

On the other hand, the outcome of this option was unpredictable. And if things turned out bad and she refused to consider what I want, I doubted if any back-up plans would still work without her being suspicious…

I continued to think and envision the possibilities the three different options had, deciding which of the three appears to be the better one—being vaguely aware of the time and my surroundings. My mind was so preoccupied that I nearly jumped out of my seat when a hand shot in front of my face, waving.

"Pretty spaced out, huh, Yotsu-chan," a familiar male voice spoke.

I looked up and saw a fairly cute boy with black hair gelled into orderly spikes, smiling at me. It was Takeshi Haato, my best friend—a proverbial boy-next-door type known for his sunny personality and charming smile.

"Or are you feeling sick?" he asked again when I didn't answer, putting his hand on my forehead.

I shook my head and pulled his hand off my head. "Not sick _but_ definitely not okay."

I watched him retrieved the two books that fell on my desk earlier before he turned back to me. "Got another problem, huh," he guessed

I nodded.

"Problem—schmroblem," he snorted. "Everything will end well, you'll see. So stop sulking and give your old friend a big smile here."

I frowned. Sometimes this guy was impossible, too blithe, always going with flow—ridiculously buoyed up to believe everything would turn out good in the end. I wished I was _that_ optimistic but I was not. I'd _rather_ be a pessimist and face reality than to live a life enclosed in my own-made happy bubble.

"No, it's not." I argued. "Not_ until_ I find the solution."

He smirked at my response and ruffled my hair—entertained by my usual pessimism—before leaning against the chair in front of me.

I narrowed my eyes at him, not only because of the irritating smile plastered across his face but also because I tend to notice that he was not in his proper uniform _again_. He was not wearing the school blazer and his white polo sleeves were informally pushed up to his elbows.

"Couldn't you _at least_ consider wearing the stupid blazer?" I scolded, eyeing him critically. "And for once try not to get on the student council's nerves."

He shrugged. "It's much easier to change for baseball practice."

I sighed. Baseball—Takeshi's usual reason. The need to kick this guy's butt now and then seemed to feel like a full time job. His flippant attitude would run him into the ground one day, I was sure of that. Yet of course, I wouldn't want that to happen. He was like a brother to me, the one which you have to take care of—_O-kay… or _maybe not. Maybe he was something more to me than just that. But why risk our friendship for something unpredictable. And besides, he wouldn't see me more than a little sister—or more_ than_ a little brother, perhaps. The guy treated me the same way as he treated his baseball buddies. So much for an unrequited love…

"'Sides, the teachers doesn't mind," he added, nonchalantly.

I scowled at him and was about to chide him to death when an ear-splitting shriek broke out in the room.

"He'_s _here!" a girl from the class shouted at the top of her lungs. And within a snap, girls swarmed to the room windows looking out.

A small voice in the back of my mind ordered me not to look, however, my human reflexes were quicker to respond, my head spun instinctively and my gaze zeroed straight to the cause of the sudden commotion—had I not known and hated that androgynous look all my life. It was a long red-haired lad with an _oh-too_ beautiful face arriving in the school gate. It was _Shuichi Minamino_, the person who made my childhood a living nightmare.

How pathetic that up to now he could still affect my life _so much_ without him being aware of it.

I turned away from the window, as a sudden fierce amount of hatred washed through me.

"_Shuichi's so handsome, glaringly gorgeous like a movie star!"_

"_You bet. And totally smart too..."_

"_He's still single, right? Lucky us, we can continue to dream!"_

The voices around me seemed to be taunting me more. Irritating me. I was tempted to shout at the over-infatuated girls, to silence them, however Takeshi's words halted me.

"What _does_ everyone like about him?" he asked. He was staring out of the window too except that his face wasn't interested unlike the others. "Honestly, I can't see anything special about him."

The tone he used caught my attention. There was an edge of resentment to it, almost contemptuous, it made me smile. How blissful it was to know that I was not the only one unimpressed by Shuichi's golden boy qualities.

"Of course, you would_n't_ see anything special about him," Naomi, a friend of mine with long dark-red hair, snapped and came to stand by my side to gaze out of the window. "You're a boy, Takeshi. That figures. To us girls, it's different. For us, he's like a fictional character straight out from some fairy tale book meant to sweep us off our feet—an ideal guy to every woman."

I rolled my eyes. Such high level of absurd adoration and admiration she had—made me wondered if hyperactive pheromones could be associated with temporary insanity.

"Don't believe that," Takeshi snorted. "I bet there's still a girl in this school who doesn't look up to him like that."

"Oh, really…? Then name one," Naomi challenged, smiling sarcastically.

For once, Takeshi didn't appear so confident. I could easily tell he was stuttering for words that wouldn't make him look stupid and wouldn't make him take his words back. I decided to butt in.

"Me," I declared, partly because I want to help Takeshi and badly because I want to earn the credit.

The two turned to me, their faces in great contrast with each other. A smile was creeping in Takeshi's face while Naomi stared at me with her eyebrow raised, her expression so disbelieving I had to laugh.

She scowled at me, wordlessly demanding for an explanation.

"I simply can't see his charm, Naomi," I told her while trying very hard to control my laughter, aware that everyone near me was eyeing me warily—considered most of them were Shuichi's fans.

"Are _you_ kidding?"

"No. And it's not something you have to be surprise of. It's natural for people to have different preferences. And besides, every girl in school seems to go gaga over him. So why include myself? You know _how_ I like to be different."

_And definitely because I will _never ever_ like that guy at all!_

I smiled, anticipating her to argue further but another voice, a high-pitched one spoke and barged in.

"Or you could just say the truth, Yotsuba," Megumi Kasegawa together with her bobbing unnatural blond hair came bouncing by, joining in our little conversation—totally oblivious to the word unwelcome. "The truth that you're wise enough to know that no intelligent guy, especially Shuichi, would ever find _you_ interesting."

She grinned mockingly at me.

Megumi was a hybrid between the classic-prima-donna and the current mean-girl-specie: beautiful and narcissistic with a head full of cockiness I believed no human brain could handle. She sort of crazy too, I guessed, because she would irritate anyone she wanted to, whenever she feels to.

Too bad she picked me today.

I grinned back tightly, "Thanks for the compliment, Megumi. But I knew way long ago how smart I am. No need to say it out loud. But really, I should give you some credit. If not for your experience I wouldn't have learn that it's _stupid _to have feelings for someone who wouldn't return it. You could share the story with the others, Megumi, about how Shuichi turned you down in a _very _gentlemanly manner? It might serve as a lesson to them."

Her eyes narrowed and she glowered at me in fierce resentment.

I stared back, keeping the teasing smirk in my face as I eagerly waited for her to snap—preparing the words I would throw back. Unfortunately, though the door slide open and came in Ms. Sawada, our teacher instantly putting an end to our squabble. Megumi held my gaze for a tad longer but with an angry _harrumph_ stomped back to her place.

She wouldn't bother me anymore…for the entire day, at least. Although in a strange way, I wasn't pleased as I should be. I wanted more than that, to show her who the real boss was. Though I knew it wasn't Megumi I wanted to fight with—_not _really. It was my bad luck. I was annoyed by how things usually went wrong in my life. How fate seemed to be toying with me. And since I couldn't fight the imperceptible, the irritation had focused to something concrete and tangible, Megumi. It was unfair, of course, but I couldn't find it wrong knowing she deserved it.

I groaned internally, pushing the cruel thought aside as I forced to listen to Ms. Sawada who was already starting her lecture. To hate Megumi in that way wouldn't make me any better than Shuichi. I was not like him and never would I be. I swore that.

The rest of the morning passed in about the same fashion with my mind drifting in and out of focus. Fluky though, no one seemed to notice. Well, almost. Mr. Hibari, a forbidding individual brought into my path by Calculus class, called me though my hand wasn't raised. I stammered, gave the wrong answer and earned a reproach.

Math had never been my favorite subject. Numbers hated me and I hated them too. However, I tried hard to separate my feelings toward the subject from the teacher who handled it. However with Mr. Hibari's stern attitude, I figured it's unavoidable.

When the bell rang for lunch, I knew I couldn't stand it any longer. I burst out of the door before anyone else, fled through the hallway and breathlessly skipped the stairs up to the rooftop door. I opened it and stepped into my personal haven—the school rooftop…the place where I tend to go whenever I wanted alone time—which I badly needed now.

I strode along to the side of the concrete, climbed up the steel ladder to the top and settled beside the large water generator.

The Meio rooftop had the most beautiful—if not the best—panoramic view of the city The city up here looked like a miniature layout found in a retail display window—the kind with buildings, houses, trees and cars—an awesome sight it was…that was if I'd been really able to appreciate it.

Being here didn't help as much as I hoped for. The beautiful view didn't have the slightest effect on distracting my mind away from the problem—like it always did. Somehow, it made feel…helpless or rather, pathetic. And I hated it.

I moaned, wrapping my arms around my legs.

"Told you not to worry too much," a voice perturbed my momentary self-pity. "It makes you look old."

I started and saw Takeshi's head poked at the edge of the concrete, a smile spreading across his face. "If you can't solve your problem, let your problem solve itself."

_There goes another optimistic crap._

"Sure. That is if it can solve itself," my words came out snappier than sarcastic but otherwise Takeshi ignored it and climbed up to sit next to me. "Why are _you_ here, anyway?"

"To share lunch," he said and offered me an absurdly large beńto box in his right hand, "While you share your problem."

"Thanks, but no thanks."

"Aw,_ c'mon_, I'm your friend. You can tell me everything. And honestly, I think you should get that thing off your chest. It's messing with your day."

I flinched. Takeshi might be carefree but he sure was observant.

"Don't worry, I can keep up," he urged.

I stared at him, silently pleading he'd let it go. However, seeing the sincere concern in his hazelnut eyes made it difficult. I sighed and gave up.

"Mom's going to Vegas with Ken this Saturday."

"Well, that doesn't sound complicated," he remarked and then chortled. "Your mother _loves_ to travel."

"Yes, I _know_ that too," I said sarcastically. "But that isn't the problem. So will you please shut up first and let me finish?"

He grinned and gestured to zipper his lips.

I sighed. "As I have mentioned, Mom and Ken are going to Vegas and they're going to stay there for a month. And because of that, Mom settled a stay over for me at her best friend's place. Yeah, she's nice and all that but—"

"You don't like her," he guessed, and for the record, interrupting me again.

I scowled at him.

He smiled ruefully and clamped his big mouth.

"No. I've known her since I was a kid. I treat her sort of like an aunt. And I adore her far more than you can imagine," I clarified. "On the contrary, though, I never liked his son. Or rather, her son never liked me. An unreasonable aversion, you may call it. It's weird but I think he hated me the first moment he laid his eyes on me. I can still remember how he would cringe away whenever I was near his flanks. It was confusing, of course, since I never done anything wrong to him. I ignored it at first, thinking he'll get over it. But he didn't. So imagine, Takeshi, the possibilities that _could_ happen if I agree to stay at their house. How that would bother his mother! Hurt her! Ugh! Just the thought of making her sad sickens _me!_"

No need to mention it was _perfect-boy Minamino_ we were talking about. The dilemma sounded bad enough without it. And I was not ridiculous to spout that I was going to live at Shuichi's house for a month. Only heaven knew the fuss it would cause.

"All this morning, Takeshi, I've been planning ways to postpone my parent's vacation to avoid it." I took a deep breath and gazed at the sky. "…And yet, I want to see her, my Aunt," I admitted, huffily. "Mom told me how excited she was when she heard about my upcoming visit. And I hate to disappoint her. How the hell will I settle with that?"

"A no-win situation," Takeshi remarked. "Life is hard sometimes, isn't it?"

I frowned. From what I knew, life was hard _all _the_ time_.

"But you're much, much kinder than I thought," he continued and I grimaced at him—I obviously wasn't looking for compliments here.

"I mean if I were in your shoes, I would have kicked the guy's butt a long time ago," Takeshi continued. "Then again, you're different and I know that. Well, anyway, after I heard the whole story, I believe you have a point. But whatever plans you have there in your mind, I know you'll do the right thing. You always do."

If he was referring to the third option then _damn_. Just damn.

"Fat _chance_ of that," I scoffed. "Seriously, I would rather lie."

Takeshi shook his head, smiling.

"You'll still do the right one, Yotsuba, that's why your soul is pure."

My soul is _pure? _Hah! If he knew the schemes my mind had conjured up earlier, I doubt if he would say that. It was so ridiculous, I had to laugh.

He laughed too, though I was not sure if we were laughing at the same thing.

"What now? Still want the part of your bargain?" He said, smiling as opened the lid of his beńto box and offered it to me, "Or not? I can finish all of this, you know."

"Yeah, I know." I couldn't help grinning back.

We shared his lunch together, his over-packed lunch, that was. I bet it could feed four or five people but we managed or rather _he_ managed to eat almost all of it. It was consisted of fish-egg sushi, rice balls, egg rolls and my favorite tempura. While we ate, he chattered gleefully roughly about everything new in his life like the new kung-fu series he was beginning to be addicted to, the kendo competition his grandfather signed him on, and the coming baseball games of Meio High.

It was all simple stories—nothing special to catch the interest of an ADD gifted individual like me—but to my surprise, I was enjoying myself. And I knew it was because of Takeshi. Weird, but maybe he had a way of pushing troubled thoughts away. Or maybe, it was just his easy-going nature affecting me. Whatever it is, Takeshi was a gift from heavens. And if I considered Meio as my seventh heaven on Earth then, no doubt, Takeshi was my earthbound angel.

However the euphoria he brought didn't last long the moment the school bell rang. Takeshi set his beńto box and stood up while I remained in my place not moving. I knew I should go back to class but a big part of me wanted sorely to ditch the rest of the day. With my present wooly mind, what difference would it make, _anyway_?

"Come on, Yotsuba, let's go."

I looked up to see Takeshi offer his hand to me and beamed a smile so sweet that left me staring at him. If he wasn't so damn cute, and if he didn't have this weird spell on me, I would have hesitated. Unfortunately, though I couldn't. He's Takeshi Haato. My best friend. My crush. Hard to resist.

With a heavy sigh, I took his hand and got to my feet.

We went back inside the campus and headed down to the stairs with Takeshi ridiculously holding my hand, probably thinking that once he'd let go I might run back to the rooftop and hide. I wished he didn't think so little of me to do that. But what the heck! At least I was holding his hand. I smiled.

I was somehow starting to feel better as we walked into the hall but upon turning to the corner that led to our classroom; my feet froze and skidded to a stop. For in the middle of the corridor was _Shuichi_ _Minamino_ standing in front of the bulletin board—a room away from ours.

I pulled my hand from Takeshi.

"What's wrong?" Takeshi stopped and turned to me.

And at that exact moment, _those green eyes of his_ flashed to our direction and zeroed on Takeshi for a fraction of a second and flickered to me.

He looked away, back to the bulletin board, more quickly than I could look down; my ears feeling molten hot. In that brief instant of a glance, though, I saw his face held nothing of interest, his gaze—no, not his gaze—but his eyes were different. They were too cold and hard like stones…like emeralds.

I cringed. _He still hated me._

"What's the matter, Yotsuba?" Takeshi asked, this time in an apprehensive tone. "You don't look so good."

"Don't mind me," I muttered and started to walk again, keeping my eyes on the floor.

I bit my lip and clenched my hands, hating the wave of uneasiness that easily flooded through me. I was not a coward nor was I afraid of _him_. But I was not silly either to play it cool; look straight ahead and risked the chance of meeting _his _gaze and _those _odd green eyes again. Na-ah. Stirring my hysteria wasn't included in my "to-do" list particularly while I was maintaining a calm, harmonious exterior here.

But all of a sudden, the two wayward options seemed to be more appealing now as they rocketed their way back to my head. Yes, they were wrong and shouldn't be entertained. But I couldn't help it, who could? After what his stare had just implied, it was impossible not to freak out especially when I thought of my forthcoming stay-over at their house.

But then again, there was Takeshi who believed I would do the right thing because that was what I always do. And if ever I ended up doing a wrong one thus destroying this good impression, I'd much rather it hadn't anything to do with Shuichi.

I turned my eyes at Takeshi, silently wishing he would look back at me and give me a gesture of encouragement I badly needed. And as always, he didn't disappoint me. Sensing my gaze, he turned his face towards me and broke out from his lips was the smile I'd been waiting to see—the smile that could light up a room—the smile that could make me believed everything would be alright.

I smiled back at him—and knew exactly what I should do.

When I got home, the first thing I did was to look for my Mom. I found her in the master's bedroom, gleefully packing her clothes and stuffs for their travel—without any sign of Ken around, I might add. A stroke of luck it was. I didn't want Ken lurking there as I talked to Mom and give him the idea that I was like any petty teenager, making big problems out of small issues. He thought of me better than that. And I _was_ better than that. Just not with this one.

As Mom saw me prowling in the doorway, she greeted me with a cheerful smile. I smiled back at her and asked her right away if I could talk to her for a while about something important. She agreed, eagerly turning her attention to me with an unusual interest. I hoped she wasn't thinking I was there to seek her motherly advice on some romantic-flustered problem because if she did then her bubble was going to burst. And it did burst.

Her sudden enthusiasm instantly turned into a scowl as I started—or rather continue—the conversation we had early this morning. She didn't interrupt me, though, as I repeated my opinion concerning the matter. When she asked me why I was being difficult, I gave her the true reason about how I'd think Shuichi had an odd aversion to me and how he had avoided me when we're kids—which she had a great time laughing at. Telling me, I probably was imagining it. Describing that the _boy_ was perfectly brought up and unquestionably courteous she _couldn't_ picture him doing that. I wondered how _that_ could be possible_—_when she _could_ picture her own daughter making up delusions.

That actually hit a nerve. I was being truthful, not being deceitful as I planned in the first place, and yet she thinks I was lying. Seriously, she was unbelievable.

But I didn't want to argue with that. I once saw how Naomi got into a serious argument defending _that_ guy. I _didn't_ feel the idea of having one with my Mom—of all people. So I'd let her speak her thoughts out and fool herself that she could talk me out of it. The ending…? She promised me she would consider what I want and let just see what would happen. I agreed—what other option do I had.

...

Saturday morning came and I ended up in front of the Minaminos house complete with my knapsack and suitcase together with Ken and Mom.


	4. Chapter 3: Unwonted

**3. Unwonted**

_THE_ _MINAMINOS_ front door opened and I was welcomed by Auntie Shiori's warm smile and outstretched hands. She was as lovely as ever, her cheeks glowing with health. It was a relief to see her that way. The last time I saw her was when she was confined in the hospital because of some odd disease. That happened a year or two ago. The doctors weren't quite hopeful about her recovery. But here she was, rosy-cheeked and all. The doctors called it a miracle while I called it as a doctor's _alibi_ for their stupid imprecision.

"I'm so glad you're here, Yotsuba," she greeted me, her soft hair brushing against my cheek as she hugged me. "I was so happy when Emiko told me you're going to stay here with us."

Wow. So Mom _wasn't_ lying. I thought she just made that up to sway me.

"It's been a long time since I last saw you. I missed you so much."

"Me too, Auntie Shiori," I smiled awkwardly, pleased despite of my anxiousness. "Sorry though if I wasn't there in your wedding." _I was too much of a chicken to see your son._

"Don't worry about it," she reassured with a smile. "Come inside all of you."

Keeping an arm around me, she led me inside the house with Ken and Mom following.

Waiting to greet us there were Auntie Shiori's new husband Kazuya Hatanaka and his son who incredibly by all fluke was named Shuichi. I just wished he'd be easy to get along with, unlike the other one. It was bad enough to have one Shuichi treating you frostily. I didn't like the thought of dealing with another one.

The resemblance between father and son was remarkable—the same hair, the same eyes, Shuichi with his dimples and Hatanaka with his chin. The only thing missing on the boy was the glasses.

Kazuya Hatanaka, from what I heard from my mother's prattles, was the president of a small company where Auntie Shiori was working. They met there, gradually fell in love with each other and then got married last July.

"It's nice to see you again, Emiko, Ken," Mr. Hatanaka nodded casually at them before his chocolate-brown eyes turned to me, "And to finally meet your lovely daughter, Yotsuba."

He smiled.

I blushed and smiled shyly at him.

_Nice_ man with _nice _choice of words. I mean, I knew I was far from pretty, even further from lovely. But wasn't it pleasant to hear those kind of words. I was after all a girl—though half of the class probably thought I was a tomboy. I sighed internally.

"It's a pleasure meeting you, too, Sir Hatanaka," I said and bowed my head respectfully.

"Call me Kazuya," he said, the amiable smile still on his face. I quite liked it a lot—he seemed to be a very kind guy, someone worthy enough of Auntie Shiori's love and affection. "This is my son, Shuichi," he placed an arm around the boy beside him. "Your mother mentioned once that you're a big fan of video games so is he. I'm sure you two we'll get along pretty well you won't be able to get rid of him. He'll be pestering you about the games or otherwise ask you to play with him—just look for Shiori then."

He winked at me and I stifled a chuckle.

Little Shuichi scowled and ducked his head. "Not funny, Dad" he murmured.

"Hi there, Shuichi," I turned to the boy. He had his head down but his brown eyes flickered to me in response. "I'm glad to meet you."

"Um…yeah, me too, Yotsuba-san," he said quietly, a little smile on his face.

It looked to me like he didn't share the aversion _his brother_ had towards me so I smiled sweetly back at him. Good kid. Shy but very well-mannered—an attitude some _certain_ person should learn to have.

"Emiko, Ken, Yotsuba," Auntie Shiori's voice interrupted my slipping thoughts. "Sit down and make yourselves comfortable while I go prepare some tea."

I sat down on the sofa as Mom did while Ken chose the armchair across Hatanaka, which left no other choice for poor little Shuichi but to take the seat next to my mother—the chatterer—who easily managed to strike up a conversation with Hatanaka quite quickly. Business language sounds strange, I thought, as I listened to them.

"So how is the stock market, Hatanaka, is it bullish or bearish now?"

"Definitely bullish. It's a bull market."

"Anything in particular?"

"Mainly blue chips, Emiko."

Bull chips, I thought. It was such an excruciatingly boring conversation that I decided to stop listening and let my eyes wander around the Minaminos living room for the first time after many years. Everything seemed new, though, I couldn't exactly be sure since I had a great deal repressing my childhood memories in this place. The chaise lounge where were sitting with the two armchairs and the coffee table looked up-to-date and the TV on the wooden stand in front of it, so the four must be newly brought. There was a tall stocked bookshelf against the wall behind Hatanaka's chair next to three medium-sized framed paintings, a moon-faced grandfather's clock stood on one corner and an ornamental potted bamboo plant on the other. Placed on the other wall was another wooden stall with a row of pictures—family pictures—and table decorations.

It was such a cozy and intimate room wholly different from ours. Mom and Ken were dead-straight minimalists when it came to interior decoration. We lived in a modern glass box, merely ascetic and strictly functional—in other words, humdrum.

As I looked around the room, I tend to notice something (I wish I hadn't)—someone's presence was missing in the room. _Maybe_ he got a part-time job and wouldn't be home till six. Maybe he went to an out-of-school program that would last for two days or a week. Or maybe he had gone off—like…_forever_. Okay, that one was impossible but at least I could be grateful he wasn't here. If I was lucky, I wouldn't have to lay eyes on his hermaphrodite face for at least another twelve hours.

I smiled to myself.

Auntie Shiori came back to the living room after a few minutes carrying a tray with china oriental teacups and a plate full of delicious-looking cookies—oatmeal cookies. She handed us the teacups filled with tea which I easily distinguished as chamomile from its aroma and offered us the cookies.

"Go ahead and help yourself to some cookies," she said, tiptoed beside Hatanaka's chair and leaned against its arm. "Its apple and cinnamon, the one Yotsuba like," she turned to me and smiled tenderly.

Apple and cinnamon cookie was one of my favorite delicacies when I was a kid. I was surprised that she remembered that far back.

"Thanks, Auntie Shiori," I mumbled and blushed. The lady had a certain way of warming the cockles of my heart. No doubt, I liked her so much. I kind of see her as an ideal form of a good mother. Someone I would like to be in the future if ever I get married (which possibly not) and have a family of my own. I was not disputing the maternal (but definitely odd) ways of my mother in account of that. But I often do wish she was more mature than I was. I could have saved myself from a lot of arguments.

I took one cookie and started nibbling it. It was delicious and it felt good in my tender stomach.

As I took a sip of the good chamomile tea, Mom ruined my mood.

"Where's Shuichi, anyway?" she asked Auntie Shiori. Her voice almost demanding it irritated me at once. Of course, she would look for _him_. What was it about him that she was so much fond of anyway?

_You don't see him here, right? Then that means he's not here. Duh. _I badly wanted to say just to annoy her. But we weren't in our house. I needed to maintain the Prim and Proper façade.

"Oh, Shuichi, he's upstairs taking a shower," was Auntie Shiori's casual reply, and my expectant smile upon believing that he was not home twisted into a frown of dismay.

I should have known it. I was _never_ capable of such luck.

Then as if on cue, I heard footsteps from the stairs—emphasizing the fact that _he _was really here and _was _coming downstairs to see us. Instinctively I felt the need to bow my head down and focused my glare on the teacup I was holding on my lap. My stomach twisted uneasily. And I hated it—hated myself for feeling it.

"Good morning, Auntie Emiko," he politely greeted my mother and I flinched from the sound of his voice. He was near—_very_ near. "Forgive me for not greeting you firsthand."

"It's nothing," was my mother's flippant reply. "I just thought you're in school taking an advance course or something. I see you're becoming quite the nerd like your Mom was, so obsessed about getting all the As in the exams."

She chuckled and I tried not to roll my eyes. If she thought that was funny then she badly needed her brain check, but then _he_ chuckled, and I realized that maybe I was the one with no sense of humor after all.

"Hi there, Shuichi," I heard Ken say. From the sound of my step-father's voice, it appeared to be that _he_ made a good impression on him. Terrific. Now I was the only one in the family who didn't exalt him. Hurrah.

"I'm glad to see you, Mr. Fukuyuma," he greeted him back, a smile in his voice, "And you too, _Yotsuba_."

…_?_

_!_

Holy cow! Did _he_ just mention _me_? Actually spoke _my name_?

I looked up, thoroughly flabbergasted. I couldn't believe my ears. It was the first time I actually heard him said my name. He was standing across the sofa, leaning against the wall next to the TV. His androgynous face was shockingly affable and friendly, a small smile on his lips.

My head was whirling with confusion as I tried to reassess the sound of his voice when he uttered my name. There was no edge to it even a diminutive hint of callousness I was expecting. Was my mother right? Had I made up the whole thing? He seemed perfectly polite to me now—

Just then my gaze caught his unreadable green eyes and brought back the solid image of how he had glared at me last Monday. Realization struck me hard. He was putting on an act; he was in front of our parents. It _should_ be obvious to me! Irritation flared but was easily over-powered by self-disgust. I had almost fallen for it and made a complete fool out of myself. Where _was_ my perspective?

I pulled myself together and fixed the stupefied expression on my face. I had to speak.

"Hi there, Shuichi," I said nonchalantly and quickly looked away. Yeah, talk about courtesy, but that was all I could handle. If I forced myself to fake a smile, it would give my true feelings away.

In my peripheral, I saw Mom frowned. Shoot! I forgot that she'd analyzed everything I do. No doubt, she noticed it and would deal with me later.

I cursed under my breath. Must everything be this complicated?

As I took pity of myself and my wretched life, the conversation continued from one person to another until their topics became diverse. Everything seemed to be having a good time—yes, aside from me. Hatanaka and Mom really got into the business talk, discussing from the stock market to the multi-empire businesses in the country. Auntie Shiori joined them, asking questions now and then. Little Shuichi was like me, all quiet and tight-lipped. But at least, he was smiling. Ken and Shuichi's topic were on the other side of the world. They were talking about some bio-genetic experimentation that the US was conducting with words mouthful complicated and hard to understand than the business vocabulary. Must be scientific terms, I guessed. (Science. Big surprise.)

Though I hated to admit it, I paid more attention to Shuichi's remarks than those of my step-father. He spoke with an amount of conviction and certainty similar to an adult not faltering or stammering with a small hint of smugness in his tone. But I knew he couldn't help it. He had always been good at everything—a young prodigy, a perfect-student; attainments that must have _gone_ to his enormous head.

I lifted my head a little and glanced at him. It seemed too much for him to have both looks and brains—oh, and not to mention, the money too. Mom told me about the wedding gift he gave to his mother and Mr. Hatanaka. It was a month _all-expenses-paid_ trip to Europe. I couldn't imagine how a lad around his age could have that much money—except, of course, if he was involved in something illegal like those I watched on TV. But that didn't matter because even if I did know the reason behind it or not wouldn't change the fact that he _was_ over-blessed and life _was_ darn unfair.

At that moment, Shuichi's eyes turned away from my step-father and unexpectedly flickered to meet mine.

I dropped my head at once, letting my hair conceal my face. Drat, he caught me!

I glared at the teacup as I wondered what expression had he seen in my face and what would he think of it? I shuddered at the first thought that bump in my head. Would he think that I was drooling over his good looks like the other girls in school? I didn't know him that much to tell if vanity was a part of his dark soul, but d_amn _him if he thought of that.

I decided to permit myself one glimpse at him. If his face was showing the signs of what I assumed, I would glare at him to put an immediate end to his delusion.

I kept my head down and peeked up under my lashes. I meant the movement to be stealthy but my effort was putted to waste when my eyes encountered with his. He was still looking at me—now with an unfathomable expression on his face. I felt my brows knit together when suddenly his lips slowly twitched into a crooked _smile_—something that would have made my jaw dropped if I hadn't controlled my expression in time.

I dropped my eyes at the teacup I was holding on my lap.

Good heavens! Did _he_ just smile at me?

_What was wrong with him?_ Was he feverish? Developed a multiple-personality disorder overnight? It was that or schizophrenia—because there was no rational reason here on earth that could explain why he did that. It couldn't have been a part of his charade because no one was looking at us. No one was paying any attention to us. And certainly, he wasn't the type who would do something without a reason. So perhaps he lost it. That had to be it.

"Oh! Look at the time!" my mother abruptly said which made me jump. The tea spilled and formed a small amorphous blotch on my dark jeans—my _favorite_ jeans.

"Shoot!" I placed the teacup on the coffee table and daftly brushed the splotch with my hand as if that would make it disappear.

"Are you okay, dear?" Auntie Shiori leaned away from Hatanaka's chair. I could feel their eyes on me.

"Yeah," I nodded and tried to smile—a hard thing to do particularly after your _favorite_ jeans had just been tainted. The culprit owed me. "Mom's _booming_ voice startled me."

Auntie Shiori and Ken chuckled. Mom glowered at me in my peripheral. Good, now we're even.

"Try to wash it out, dear," Auntie Shiori suggested. "The bathroom's beside the stairs."

I nodded. Auntie Shiori was right. I might be able to save my jeans.

I excused myself and headed to the bathroom. In close inspection the blotch looked nothing too serious to create a big fuss about. All it needed was to be rubbed by a handkerchief dampen with water and a little amount of liquid hand soap to make sure it would not set in. After I was done, only the wet mark was left in the jeans and that would dry up in a few minutes. I'd be fine without changing it.

I turned to the mirror and decided to check myself before I go back to the living room. My face looked pallid under the light and there were horrible circles under my eyes caused by the past few nights I laid sleepless in bed dreading for this day to come. And now that it had arrived, I could only imagine how much my face would worsen in a few days and turned like that of Frankenstein's bride.

Yes, Shuichi was acting in such an unusual way I had not anticipated—not throwing me cold daggers or death glares—but I wasn't sure how that could be and that frightened me more not seeing the reasons behind his actions.

I sighed and turned the knob. I was under too much strain to add another one.

When I reached the living room, all of them were on their feet. I guessed it was time for Mom and Ken to leave…and abandon me here _alone_. I cringed. I needed to do something to postpone it, I'd suggest going with them to the airport.

"We're going, sweetheart," my Mom said to me as she saw me. "I don't want to miss our flight. I've waited long enough for this honeymoon trip to finally occur."

She giggled and held Ken's arm, fondly gazing at him.

I cleared my throat. I wished Mom would save that kind of thing later because _obviously_ she wasn't alone with Ken.

"Mom, can I go with you to the airport?" I asked with pleading eyes. "I just want to see you and Ken before you leave. I mean, I'm going to miss both of you."

"Of course, you can," she laughed and to my great surprise, gestured to red-head Shuichi with her chin who smiled at her in return. "Shuichi's going with us. We all know how hopeless your sense of direction is. I don't want to spend my vacation worrying if you made it safely back here or not."

I glowered at her. That was one big fat lie. She was the one _who_ had _no_ sense of direction. Not me. This was her revenge—as if the torments she brought me weren't enough.

And in regards with Shuichi, he was running true to form as my personal gift from hell with a big help from my mother.

"Come on, let's go," Ken said and I had to drag my feet outside.

Mom and Ken said their goodbyes to Auntie Shiori and Hatanaka and we went to the car. Naturally, Mom got the place in the front seat and I had no choice but to be stuck in the back with Shuichi—though I would rather pick the trunk how ridiculous it may sound.

All the way to the airport, I couldn't stay still on my place. I would twitch every now and then or glance at Shuichi in my peripheral. I was sitting far from him as possible yet I couldn't render to soothe the queasiness in my stomach. I couldn't suppress the thought that he would go back on snubbing me any moment from now.

I peeked at him from the corner of my eye. He was staring outside, a hand over his chin, his elbow leaning on the windowpane. He seemed to be at ease unlike me. He was wearing a simple blue v-neck shirt with its long sleeves pushed up to his elbows and khakis and yet he looked…cool. If I was being candid, he was actually good-looking—no, not exactly good-looking but beautiful. That would describe his face right. His face was even prettier than mine for Pete's sake. And the fact that he was a guy made it worst too. _Damn!_

I cursed under my breath and glared outside the window. Where was the justice in this world?

Once we reached the airport and Ken parked the car. Something troubled me—this time without anything to do with Shuichi—and had to ask my step-father about it.

"Who's going to take care of the car?" I hopped out and stroke my hand along the length of it. Ken's car is a black Honda Civic Coupe, sleek and elegant. I preferred it than my Mom's boring Pajero. During our free time, Ken and I tuned it—he taught me one summer how to and I became interested with cars.

"Hideki, my nephew," Ken answered me as he closed the door.

"Hi_de_ki," I hissed. Of all the people he would trust this car to he had to pick that first class moron.

A little information about that guy, he was an incurable fool who loved listening to the most obnoxious rock songs and with all madness kept trying to imitate the lead singer of Meteora. Hur dur. I remembered when he stayed at our house for a week during winter break. Every morning he bolted out of his bed the instant his radio alarm burst forth with the loudest rock band, bounded out into the rudiments and into his 1974 Dodge with seats that smelled like cigarette and beer. And sometimes, when my rotten luck triggered, he would see me on the living room and asked, "Wanna duke out with us? I can get you a fake ID to enter the bar," and then laughed maniacally. I felt emotionally devastated during that time.

In many ways, Hideki was much worse than Shuichi. He was hell personified. I didn't even want to think of the things that would happen once he got his filthy hands on the steering wheel. My teeth clenched together. I swore to God I would kill him if he done any damage to the Civic.

I tried not to think about Hideki and the Civic as we made our way to terminal six. We arrived earlier than the appropriate time and had to wait for their signal to board on the plane. Mom and I sat in the long rows of chairs by the metal detectors while Shuichi and Ken preferred to stand near the floor-to-ceiling windows talking to each other.

"What _do_ you think about Shuichi?" my mother suddenly asked. Shuichi and Ken were far enough not to be in audible range.

I wondered when her mouth would stop spouting the name "Shuichi".

I racked my brain for the stupidest answer. I could annoy her this time.

"Um, well, he's human. He can talk and he can speak. All things considered, he seems to be a normal individual."

Her eyes narrowed into slits. "Be serious."

"I am."

"You should put away your childish acts, Yotsuba, or else no one's going to take you seriously."

"Let me correct _that_ one, Mom," I started the saccharine tone rich in my voice. "No one _is_ taking me seriously. Particularly you! Why _on_ earth did you drag _him _here_, _anyway?"—I seethed—"I never get lost. My sense of direction isn't hopeless like yours. So why the hell did you have to do that? What do you really want to happen, huh, Mom? Cause seriously I can't understand you!"

"I am helping you, Yotsuba," she answered me.

My jaw dropped. I expected my mother to say something twisted but definitely it wasn't that.

"I thought it would be obvious," she continued, waving a hand frivolously. "But I should have known you wouldn't get it right away. You're slow sometimes."

"Helping me with _what_?" my voice shot through an octave and several heads turned in our direction.

"Shh!" she chastised. "I'll explain so could you please keep your voice down?"

I nodded one stiff nod.

"Look, Yotsuba, I'm giving you this opportunity here to work your problem with Shuichi and I wish you'll grab this," she pointed out. "It wouldn't hurt you to try."

_What the…_

"Very helpful, Mom," I said scornfully. "Why don't you Superglue me on him while you're at it?"

She laughed at it and I turned away from her in annoyance.

Twenty minutes later, the passengers were called. Ken gave me a one-armed hug, kissed my forehead and told me to take care of myself. He even apologized about leaving me behind and promised that he would send me extra bucks once he reached Vegas to make it up—he murmured that to me so Mom wouldn't hear it—which gladly pleased me. Now the horrible stay-over would be less dreadful. Mom showered me with kisses and hugs and said she was going to miss me then turned to Shuichi to say her goodbye. She wasn't having that. She even told him to 'look after me' to my extreme embarrassment. Then finally they got on the plane and were out of my sight.

I went to the mirrored wall and looked at the plane where Mom and Ken were boarded. I didn't want to go home yet—I mean, go back to the Minaminos place—so I decided to remain until their plane take off. I didn't know if Shuichi was behind me or not and I didn't bother to check either. If he wanted to go home then let him be. I could take care of my own self.

After ten minutes, the plane started and rolled lazily from the gate. I watched it as it gained speed and took off. And I knew I was alone, I felt it—alone to face the things waiting to happen in the next days. It provided an unpleasant sensation, a spiteful stroke of misery like you were the last soul on earth after a nuclear holocaust.

I frowned and shook my head, pushing the thoughts away. I knew I needed to go back now. I wouldn't want Auntie Shiori and Hatanaka to worry.

I sighed and turned around then almost let out a gasp. Shuichi was there, standing before me, his hand reaching out as if he was about to tap my shoulder. Strange. I didn't even hear him approach.

For a jiffy, I saw something flickered across his face but before I could identify it, it disappeared in his features so I couldn't be sure about it. Maybe it was just my imagination…

My eyes flickered to his hand then back to his face. It took me an effort not to glare.

He smiled at me.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked softly and I felt the shock in my face. Now he was talking to me too with a soft tender voice? I couldn't believe it. The world must have tilted last night while I was past asleep.

He stared at me waiting.

I tried to figure it. Mom must have bribed him with money or an expensive gift. Or perhaps blackmailed him. Whatever it was, it had something to do with Mom's interference. Of that I was positive.

The smile on his face faded and he raised an eyebrow. "Are you?"

I nodded. I didn't know how long he would keep up with this charade—an hour, a day or if he was being generous maybe a week but as long as he was doing it then might as well went along with it. It was better than any other ways.

He started and I followed behind him with shoulders squared and my chin up, prepared to face my awaiting destiny.


	5. Chapter 4: First Day

**4. First Day**

_IT WAS A SILENT _triphome or should I say to the Minaminos house. Shuichi never spoke to me all the way back to their house. It was better, I guessed. I would freak out if he tried to make a small talk with me. We took the train and I was praying nobody from school would see us together. Or, at the very least, not recognize me. Cause if anyone did then I was a dead meat.

For once, I was thankful of my low status. I was not a genius. A four-point-oh average grade definitely was out of my league. Of course, I was never the top of the class not in Meio where the wunderkinds shared the biggest portion of the population. I was even lucky, _yes lucky_, to be accepted in Meio. Not all kids with ADD could get that kind of opportunity particularly with their excessive lack of attention and interest. I was also not an athlete. I had to admit, I hate sports especially sport games that had anything to do with balls—these things seemed to have a quaint way of finding me and hitting me during P.E. class. And though, I was a part of the Drama Club, I worked behind the stage. I never set foot on it even once. And of course, people who worked behind the stage were never recognized no matter how big their investments were. You could never hear of a camera-man more popular than the drama actress—you'd never get that. In conclusion, I was just a basic run-of-the-mill teenage girl with a hint of craziness and wickedness in school—nothing more.

Maybe that was the reason why Mom was so overly fond of Shuichi. Perhaps as much as I had wanted a perfect and understanding Mom, she also wanted a famous and intelligent kid for a spawn—which obviously, I couldn't give her and her vice versa…that somehow in an ironic way, made us even. So I guessed life wasn't _that _unfair after all.

As we walked through the streets that led to their house, my mouth was tightly shut like him and I avoided anything that would make any contact necessary. I even slowed my pace so that I wouldn't have to walk side by side with him, and damn, it was hard. He was such a slowpoke that you'd have to be a slug not to beat his stride.

When we reached the house, Auntie Shiori was the first one to meet us. She was probably listening for our arrival because even before Shuichi could say "We're home", she came to meet us in the living room.

"Welcome home," she greeted us.

I couldn't help not to cringe from the word "home" with Shuichi standing at my side but I managed to smile in return. She didn't need to know my problem. She didn't need to suffer along with me.

"Mother, where are Father and Shuichi?" Shuichi asked and I noticed that the house was unexpectedly quiet too.

"I asked them to go get some stuff for dinner," Auntie Shiori answered and then softly giggled.

Shuichi in response, smiled at her with humor as if enjoying some private joke. I couldn't see anything funny with it though. What was wrong with a _father_ and a _son_ doing the grocery, _anyway_…?

Then it dawned on me. Of course, it was because they were males! Guys hated all sorts of shopping that had nothing to do with their manly field and Y chromosomes. Something about shopping particularly with a girl could excellently cease their bravado. Obviously, Mr. Hatanaka and little Shuichi were no exception to this.

Ugh! Why was my brain so slow?

"Yotsuba," Auntie Shiori's voice pulled back my attention. "I know you're a bit tired and probably would want to change that stained jeans you're wearing. Your bags are already upstairs in your room. Call me if you need anything, okay? Remember to treat this house as your own."

I nodded. I wasn't dead tired but I knew I needed to unpack and get my things settled. It would be nice to have some alone time too, a chance to relax, gather my thoughts and _start_ fooling myself to get used to this place.

"Thanks, Auntie Shiori," I said. "You don't know how much I appreciate you for letting me stay here."

"I'm happy you came, dear," she replied. "You're a part of the family. And besides, you can't believe how lonesome I've been for some girl company. It's hard being the only woman in this house."

She smiled and I chuckled. In some ways, I could see her point and sympathized with what she felt considered that I_ am_ the only one _sane_ in our house. My Mom got a knotty brain that I couldn't and definitely wouldn't understand—heaven knew, how I prayed every night that her psychosis was not something she caught hereditarily because if she did then I was in a big danger here. Meanwhile, with Ken, I knew, he was smart. Given that he wouldn't get his doctorate degree if he wasn't. On the other hand though, he was always there feeding my mother's insanity to the point that I began wondering whether he was doing it all out of love or either because his brain's wavelength wasn't that different from hers.

"Ken must felt the same way too," I just said. But no pun intended—my stepfather deserved the credit. I mean, it must be darn hard living with two contradicting oddballs.

"Then there's someone who understands," Auntie Shiori remarked and laughed. Just then a sound coming from the kitchen either from a microwave or oven caught her attention. "If you'll excuse me, I have something to finish in the kitchen."

She was about to turn away when I stopped her. "Um…Auntie Shiori, where is my room exactly?"

I knew it was upstairs but there had to be three or four rooms on the second floor. I definitely wouldn't want to barge into a wrong one particularly Shuichi's room. It might put an immediate end to his affable façade and start his death glares—and of that I wasn't ready yet. Not when I planned to survive living for a month here.

"Oh, of course," she said then turned to her beloved son, "Shuichi, dear, could you please show Yotsuba to her room."

Shuichi nodded and Auntie Shiori strolled to the kitchen after reminding me to take a short rest.

I cursed under my breath_. _Just when I thought I would have the chance to get away from him, he had to be the one to take me to my room. Such dire luck I had. I wondered if it would ever stop because it only seemed to get more potent and unearthly scary every day.

I sighed as I hauled my feet to follow Shuichi upstairs. We walked through the small hall, passed three doors and stopped in front of the last one.

"Here's your room," he informed me as he stepped backward and opened the door for me as if portraying a role of a once-upon-time English gentleman minus the top hat and the white gloves.

_Jeez._ What was with the pushy hospitality? If I were him, I would cut back a little. I mean the gentlemanly act _was_ a bit over the top, it _was_ creepy.

"Thanks," I mumbled, anyway, and entered the room.

The room faced south, had faded white walls and honey-colored wooden floorboards. There was a sliding window decked with light blued lace curtains on the opposite wall, the bed in front of it, a study desk on the right side near the head of the bed and a dresser beside a corner. On the left side of the room was the door to the room's bathroom—my own bathroom. And that pleased me, because seriously, I wouldn't like the idea of sharing the bathroom downstairs.

I let my eyes wander around the room and caught the sight of my suitcase leaning against the dresser's side with my knapsack lying on the floor. My first impulse was to grab it and start unpacking, eager to turn the once guestroom to my own place but Shuichi was still standing at the doorway.

What was he waiting for—for me to shoo him away? Wasn't he sensitive enough to know that he should give me some privacy here?

I turned around to him, straight-faced, and raised an eyebrow.

"You need anything?" I felt stupid asking that but I couldn't think of anything appropriate to say without sounding sarcastic or scathing.

"Yes. Do you mind talking to me for a few minutes?" He asked his voice gentle and almost pleading that I instantly perceived as ominous. Unfortunately though as much as I would love to say no to him and close the door, my hands were tied. I was in his house, in his territory. I didn't have the rights to act like majesty. And furthermore, he was on the doorway _making_ it clear that I was cornered and had _no_ escape.

I exhaled quietly through my mouth to calm my nerves. A part of my brain was panicking, giving me hints about the matter this sudden confrontment was about—and I had to admit, I didn't like them very much.

"Sure," I said in a voice that sounded awfully hesitant. "What is it about?"

"It's regarding our childhood days," he answered and smiled ruefully.

_Drat!_ I knew this was coming. I should have just offered to help Auntie Shiori in the kitchen earlier.

"Foremost, I want to make an apology. You're mother _told_ me how it bothered you and made you hesitant to stay here in our house," he pointed out and I grimaced. I knew it was something like that. The word 'meddle' wouldn't be in the dictionary if it wasn't for my Mom. "Believe me, Yotsuba, I feel wretched about every part of it and _grateful_ that _you_ came here in spite of it."

I stared at him in blank surprise and felt my mouth dropped infinitesimally.

_What was happening here?_ For one wild second, I wanted to pinch myself to see if I was dreaming, to tell if all I heard were just delusions. _Maybe_ I was the one who lost her mind last night.

"You could say I was quite arrogant as a boy," he continued as he took in my expression, "Haughty and self-aggrandizing. I badly deserve it. No wonder Mother had a hard time raising me." He chuckled probably to lighten the mood. And darn, it _was _distracting much to my internal distaste. He seemed warmer as he laughed, like he'd put some of his guard down. Something I had never seen before.

"But be assured, that won't happen again. I'll try to behave myself from now on."

He finished with a grin and my mouth would have gape wider if I hadn't controlled it.

It was frustrating, beyond frustrating. How could it happen that a person who was treating you like a pariah all your life was now behaving inconceivably friendly towards you? Even if he was blackmailed or bribed by my Mom, he was downright smart and should probably be the most uninfluenced cocky bastard I knew. He couldn't be swayed easily_._

_It was either he was possessed by an evil spirit or it went with my charade theory._

I shook my head and raised my hands. "Look, Shuichi, you don't owe me an apology."

Hell! What_ did _I just said?

"_I'm_ here because _I _chose it. I have no idea what my _mother_ told you," I pointed out, making sure he got that. "But I _can't _remember _anything_ bad you have done to me when we were kids."

_An impromptu lie…? Y_es, this ought to work. It had to—lies vs. charade.

"Timidity must have taken place before but we're both grown-ups now surely we don't have that in our bodies' anymore," I prattled wittily and was surprised by my own words. I didn't know my brain could conjure something like this. Damn, I had no idea I was this clever. Maybe this was a part of some hidden instinct—an instinct to lie in order to save myself. Not quite bad in my opinion.

"I must have mentioned something to my mother regarding that but please, don't take it badly. My mother is the littlest bit prone to overreaction. She must have gotten it the wrong way around," I added and feigned on a smile. "So you have nothing to worry about. Everything is A-okay with me. My feelings are great, we're friends and I'm here to enjoy my visit. Those are the things that matters, I believe."

He still looked dubious.

I rolled my eyes. Sheesh. Did this guy need an affidavit signed with my blood for him to believe me? What a finicky one this guy was.

"Fine, if you insist then apology accepted though seriously this is all completely unnecessary," I frowned. It made me feel a little teensy-weensy irritated knowing that even if it was just a ham it up, accepting his apology was the very last thing I would consider giving him. But now I had—all thanks to Mom.

"Thanks," he said.

I shrugged. Truly, this excessive amiability would turn disgusting if he wouldn't lessen it.

"I'll give you some privacy now." I caught his eyes flickered at my suitcase and his lips twitched in an amused way. I'd bet it finally occurred to him that I needed to be alone now. Too bad he _hadn't _figure that out earlier—it might have made me hate him a little less.

"I'll see you in dinner, and Yotsuba, one more thing," he looked at me and smiled. "I'm _really_ glad you're here."

And with that, he left the room and shut the door quietly behind him.

With certain languidness, my feet moved backwards until I felt my legs bumped the bedside and there I slumped down hard. There were no thoughts entering in my head. Shuichi's actions left me feeling oddly hollow, empty of thoughts and with a hazy brain. I couldn't understand anything, his actions and his words. I couldn't understand him—that was it, period.

I could no longer define whether what he had done was nothing but a sham-act _or _by some freaking miracle he had really change. He was confusing me too much to the point that my brain wanted to try repress itself from thinking.

I sighed and felt the need to rub my temples. If losing my mind was what it takes to decipher someone like Shuichi Minamino then, no, thank you. I'd rather be oblivious to his kindness. Screw being good, I was no angel and neither do I want to be. Good people die early and there was this theory that most of them have the rottenest lives. And I didn't have a need for it; I already had the rottenest luck. Who wanted more of that?

"Ugh!" I jumped to my feet and started to unzip my suitcase. If Shuichi really had changed then thank you very much, if not then let him remained as my walking personal gift from hell for all I care.

To keep from thinking, I busied myself unpacking. When I finished putting my clothes in the dresser, I took my bag of toiletries and went to the bathroom. It made me feel more at home to see my shampoo and conditioner in the shower caddy, my hair dryer, brush and comb on the shelf above the washbasin, my soap in the soap dish—the exact way they were in my bathroom back home.

After I'd washed myself and brushed my teeth, I decided to get dressed later for dinner, faded gray jeans and a long fuchsia-pink sweater, then chose to kill the hours by reading the latest book I bought, "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen.

Since I was the only child of my biological parents and had no playmates or childhood friends to play with either, I spent most of my early days watching dreary TV shows or reading children classic's books such as Oliver Twist, The Emperor's New Clothes, Huckleberry fin and etcetera for hours… two hobbies that hadn't worn off as I grew old and possibly became the reason why I turned out boring.

I crawled on the bed and lied on my stomach, flipping through the pages of the book. The first and last time I opened it was Monday morning before Mom made the announcement of my dreaded stay over, and from then I had a hard time gathering my brain and ended up disregarding the book. If I was not mistaken, I stopped reading in the middle of volume one's chapter six. When I found the page, I started reading quietly to myself until my eyes fell on the name Mr. Darcy.

Fitzwilliam Darcy was the male protagonist of the novel, a smooth-talking bigot that was an upshot of tremendous fortune and indisputable honor—a snob in a layman's term or rather in Elizabeth Bennet's term, and for some uncanny way reminded me of someone. _Ring a bell? _But, of course, the comparison was wholly silly. Darcy was the love interest of the smart, intelligent female protagonist Elizabeth. For certain, Darcy's good attitude and soft side would be revealed as I read through the pages. He _was_ different from _that_ guy.

I continued reading and let time passed, grew inclined and familiar with the characters as I mind-travelled to England during the eighteen thirties where being a part of the high society played a crucial role in determining an individual's happiness and social climbers ruled.

_Sheesh…_ I was glad life wasn't that complicated and petty nowadays. I would have ended up as a misanthropist. No wonder Darcy acted with such despicable behavior. He wasn't truly a snob. In fact, he was justly rational in his demeanor. He was philosophical enough to see the xenophobic ways of the society and acted cruelly out of it. No one could blame him for that.

A knock on my door disturbed my train of thoughts. Quite inattentive, I looked around the room, threw the curtains from the window and saw that the sunlight coming from the window was now vivid red-orange. The sun was setting. Gosh! I hadn't noticed.

Another round of knock made contact with my door and had me hurrying towards the door that I almost fell flat on my face. I opened the door and found little Shuichi with a shy smile on his face. I should stop calling him little. He was no more than three or four years younger than me, I reminded myself. And truthfully, I was only a few inches taller than him that in a year or two, he would probably outgrow my height. What was with the guys' freaking growth hormones, anyway? But it was confusing to mention two distinct persons with the same name so I'd better stick to it.

"Mom's almost finished preparing dinner," he said. "She told me to call you."

"Oh. Okay."

I followed him downstairs while I inconspicuously brushed the wrinkles from my shirt to smooth it out and ran my fingers through my hair. I never kept my hair longer than chin-length since junior high for the reason that it parted unevenly in awkward, messy waves once it reached my shoulders.

Little Shuichi went straight to the living room while I stopped in the middle of the hallway and peeked at Auntie Shiori in the kitchen door. I asked her if she wanted some help but she kindly waved me off and told me she was almost done. I nodded and made my way to the living room.

Mr. Hatanaka and little Shuichi were on the sofa, watching sports from what I could hear coming from the TV and the too-vigilant eyes they have stuck on it. The other Shuichi was there, also, sitting on the armchair with a book under his nose.

"Oh, hi there, Yotsuba," Mr. Hatanaka turned to me and smiled. "Join us. We're watching basketball."

Shuichi looked up from his book and smiled at me.

I smiled timidly and sat at the armchair next to me. Mr. Hatanaka returned his attention on the ball game at once and so did Shuichi on his book. I was more than happy they did. I didn't want their eyes on me. Like I said, I had no interest on sports, and this fact certainly would register on my face if I forced myself to watch the stupid basket game for their sake.

I glanced around the room to find something to brood over like an abstract painting or surreal figurine while I waited for dinner. My eyes fell on a small puzzle lying on the coffee table. It looked deceptively easy. All you had to do was try and separate four cleverly linked circles.

"Can I borrow this?" I asked little Shuichi, who sat adjacent to me, while pointing at the small thing. The kid didn't even bother to look at me, he just nodded.

"Thanks," I muttered and felt a little pity for the kid. Another human brain had been wasted and percolated by ludicrous sport games through the power of TV. Another fight was lost.

I sighed and tried my luck with the puzzle. I was not a big fan of puzzles. If I couldn't solve a puzzle in five minutes and became bored with it, I'd throw the thing away. Surely you have seen a Rubik's Cube. Darn, that thing is the most annoying puzzle that was ever created. Of course, I knew there were patterns provided to solve it but still…ugh! I threw a lot of that thing when I was a kid. So probably you'd get the idea to what happened to the puzzle I was solving.

Even though I was eager this time to solve it, I gave up after ten minutes later, totally frustrated. I dropped the thing in the coffee table with more force than necessary and heard a soft chuckle of amusement coming from Shuichi's place.

I shot a sharp look at him but then found his eyes and whole attention centered on the book he was reading. My eyes narrowed. It was either he was pretending to read his book to disguise his laughter at my trifling feat or by some irking coincidence had read something very funny.

"Time for dinner," Auntie Shiori called from the kitchen, broke out my thoughts before I could even make a conclusion.

"Aw, Mom, can we finish the game first?" Little Shuichi whined.

"Now, now, Shuichi, you could watch that later," Auntie Shiori said.

"But I want to finish the game! It's the finals, Mom. I don't want to miss anything."

"Come on, now, Shuichi. Your mother's right," Mr. Hatanaka was the one who replied. "Besides, there is a rerun later. I'll allow you to stay up late to watch it since its Sunday tomorrow."

The kid frowned but didn't say anything as Mr. Hatanaka turned off the TV, stood up and ambled to the dining room. Shuichi placed his book on the coffee table, fondly turned to his little brother and ruffled his chocolate-brown hair. He tried to induce the kid by muttering that he would stay up late to watch with him too.

I stood up and followed Mr. Hatanaka, knowing Shuichi could convince the kid. And I was right. It didn't take long for Shuichi to convince his little brother. They came barging in the dining room a minute later, laughing, his little brother tucked under his arm.

I sat beside Auntie Shiori contentedly.

Dinner went smoothly and fine. I complimented Auntie Shiori for the delicious dinner and she thanked me. Being the guest of the house, it wouldn't surprise you to note that the spotlight was on me. Mr. Hatanaka and Auntie Shiori mostly talked to me, asking me questions regarding my studies, what I would like to study in college and such things. I told them I'd like to take psychology. Why people do what they do. An impertinent side of me wanted to tell them it was because I yearned to finally understand the mechanism of my mother's brain but sagacity warned me not too. People in this house seemed to accept things that are thought-provoking and interesting in conversations. There I also learned that Shuichi had no plans going to college. Mr. Hatanaka already offered him a place in his company, most likely to work as a supervisor or manager once he graduated from high school.

I know. Things were certainly par for the course. The good spirits of the world were tripping over each other to attend to Shuichi's every wish while trampling over me in the same process. How wicked was that—Oh, yeah, I mentioned something about life being fair by some hook or crook, earlier, right? Then forget it. I completely changed my mind.

When dinner was over, the guys went back to the living room while I stayed and helped Auntie Shiori to clean the table and wash the dishes. Of course, at first, she declined reasoning that I was a guest but I persuaded her telling that that was the only household chore I was good at. She laughed at that.

When we we're done, I told her I'd go back to my room to finish a paper on World Literature due Monday (which was a lie, my essay was already done). She wished me a good night sleep and once again told me how happy she was that I was there. I delightfully thanked her. On the way to the hall, I'd turned to stop in the living room and say my goodnight to Mr. Hatanaka, little Shuichi and Shuichi.

Mr. Hatanaka noted it was still early and suggested that I could watch TV with them. That I could even change the channel to what I like but I declined and told him the same excuse about the school paper I was obliged to finish. Besides, I didn't want to steal away little Shuichi's source of happiness. He smiled and wished me luck with the paper and good night.

Shuichi nodded to me in recognition and little Shuichi with a big smile on his face said a jolly good night to me. It sounded more like a big thank you, actually.

And with that, I was about to leave the room when my eyes fell on the little puzzle again and I was surprised. It was already solved. Four circles detached from one another lying on the coffee table…in front of Shuichi. He had disentangled it—f_or me?_

This would have pleased a sappy heart. But mine was not. It annoyed me because if it wasn't obvious to you, it only proved the deduction that the laugh which escaped from his mouth earlier was mine to earn.

My teeth snapped together and I stormed my way upstairs. I didn't know how or when, but someday, Shuichi Minamino was going to pay for this—of that I was sure.

Once in my room, I locked the door. I decided to take a shower again to calm the frenzied demonic whim that urged to whip the butt of the red-head downstairs. If Mr. Smarty Pants thought he could tease me now that he had assumed we_ were_ friends then he'd better think again. Perhaps I should remind him of the saying _'keep your friends' close but your enemies' closer'_ to burst his bubble.

Muttering to myself, I dressed swiftly to my pajamas, turned off the lights and threw myself at the bed not caring about my wet hair or to the possibility that Auntie Shiori might check up on me later and figure out that I was lying. All I wanted was to get the damned lad _out_ of my head and _out_ of my concern. I _should_ stop minding the things he would do whether it concerned me or not. I _should_ not waste my time with insignificant thoughts on him. Besides from the fact that it was unhealthy for my sanity, I didn't much like the idea that he had this unconscious influence over me.

I pulled the quilt over my head and forced myself to sleep by counting numbers in my head. I wasn't quite sure if I reached counting to a thousand or two before I was swallowed up by unconsciousness. I only knew I had fallen asleep when darkness was changed into an unfamiliar scene—a dead forest.

I was dreaming.

The entire place was forbidding. It was the sort of place that could be a perfect spot for filming a horror-suspense movie. It was so eerie and although I was certain it was a dream, I felt anxious to leave the place at once only to be distracted at the sight of a cave. Boding evil and looming darkness was emanating from its mouth. I stared at it and the darkness seemed to stare back, holding my gaze. In some corner of my consciousness, I knew I was anticipating for something to see hiding in that darkness. Because I was damned sure something was there. And it was looking back at me. But as much as I wanted to satiate the curiosity that was boiling in me, I was smart enough to discern things that were dangerous from not, where and when to steer clear of. And _unquestionably_, that place was one to be avoided.

The dream continued in that still state and grew insipidly until the image got slightly blurry and drifted out of focus into utter nothingness and stayed like that. The next thing I knew was a thumping sound disturbing my deep slumber.

I groaned and rolled over onto my face. I had the sense that I'd been asleep for quite a time but I was fairly positive that it was too early for the unwanted disturbance. It must only be three or four in the morning—crack of dawn…oh, well, that what was I believed.

A second set of knocks made me rolled back over with a muttered curse and grouchily threw the quilt aside, entirely off of me. I scratched my head annoyed, my eyes still shut tight. The knocks weren't demanding but it sure was beginning to spoil my day. I intended to sleep again and ignore it but an unexpected brightness woke me. I opened my eyes to see a blinding yellow light streaming through the window beside my bed. And that was what completely awakened me.

_Shoot!_ I sat up too fast, and my head spun for a minute as the blood flowed downward. I shook my head to let the dizziness disappear, and quickly threw a frantic glance at the digital clock on the desk. It was already _nine-fifteen_. _Freaking nine-fifteen!_

I'd been sleeping longer than I knew.

And then the third set of knocks came. I threw my legs over the side and hopped down quickly. The swift movement was deliberated for a launch run but instead I slipped on the quilt scattered on the wooden floor and my body landed with a loud thud.

"Ow," I moaned but didn't have the time to rub my floor-burned cheek and bruised knees as another set of knocks came. This time it was demanding. I quickly stood up, ran for the door and opened it as wide as it could go only to find the urge to close it immediately.

Shuichi Minamino was standing on my doorway with his pretty androgynous face. What a_ fabulous _way to start the bad day right.

He was leaning into the door, a hint of alertness in his eyes that left the instant he saw me. His eyes flickered over my shoulder, to the room, and a calculating expression crossed his face. I grimaced. He probably must have heard the noise I made.

"Good morning," I quickly greeted him with the intent of disturbing his thoughts.

His eyes turned to me. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?" he politely asked but from the smile playing around the edges of his lips as he took in my just-got-out-of-the-bed appearance told me he was trying his best not to laugh.

I blushed, suddenly self-conscious.

My unruly bed hair, no doubt, formed a perfect depiction of a robin's nest overnight. If I remembered it clearly, I hadn't even brushed my hair last night before I went to bed. _Damn_. Besides that, I was still wearing my pajamas, had an unwashed face, and worst of all, might have Sleeping Beauty's morning breath. Good heavens, how embarrassing. Compared to him—who already had on the proper clothes, his long vibrant red hair well-brushed (which by this moment looked a thousand times smoother than mine) and fine countenance—I probably looked like a complete mess.

"Yes," I muttered too low. I wasn't sure if he heard it.

"It's breakfast time already. Mother asked me to call you," he informed me which made me groan. It was my first morning here and I already gained the form of a prima donna by making the owners of the house wait for me.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Are all of them already downstairs?" I asked, worried.

"No," he smiled. "Shuichi just woke up." His tone added _like you._

I sighed to my relief and didn't let that get to me.

"I'll be downstairs in a jiffy then," I said to him and he nodded.

I closed the door, ignoring the little devil whispering on my left ear to slam it in his face. I locked it and was off in a frantic hurry.

In a jiffy, that was what I promised, so I took a quick bath for eight minutes, brushed my teeth, trying to be thorough and fast, then pulled on the first clean clothes my hands had touched in the dresser. I didn't bother to blow-dry my hair but immediately yanked the brush through it quickly and was grateful I had it short. I threw the wet towel in the hamper on the bathroom and shot a quick glance in the mirror to make sure I was set. All in all, it took me fifteen minutes in my estimation. And again, I was thankful to the fact that I was not vain and had a self-effacing soul.

After that I dashed down the stairs to the dining room. The air smelled of fresh-brewed coffee, pancakes and maple syrup. At the dining table, Mr. Hatanaka and Auntie Shiori welcomed me with smiles. Shuichi and little Shuichi weren't there so I figured that maybe he was still in his brother's room waking the kid who probably returned to his bed again. Couldn't blame the kid, he must have sleep late because of the stupid basketball game.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," I apologized.

"It's okay. Breakfast just got served," Mr. Hatanaka said. "It's my son who's keeping us waiting. The kid was unshakeable—finished the rerun last night when Shuichi and I were fighting our sleepiness the moment the second quarter started. I conked out eventually."

He laughed and I chuckled. _Good luck_ with Mr. Smarty Pants waking his brother.

"Did you have a nice sleep?" Auntie Shiori asked with a soft smile on her face. Mostly, I wondered how she and my Mom became the best of friends. They were the total opposite of each other—like sugar and salt or white and black. Auntie Shiori was quiet and gentle, the one who would sweetly greet you in the morning and whose voice would remind you of those sweet lullabies from those animation movies, while Mom was wild and boisterous, the one who would make you believe people like Adolf Hitler still existed and whose voice would remind you of a Military Camp's commander.

"Yes," I admitted, smiling. "In fact, if it weren't for Shuichi, I would still be fast asleep."

Wh_oo_ps. There was sarcasm in there somewhere, right?

Auntie Shiori smiled.

Minutes later, Shuichi came down with his still-sleepy little brother. Breakfast started and Auntie Shiori told me about their plan for the day. Since it was Sunday which was considered as a typical family day, we would go to the mall after breakfast. This brought excitement to little Shuichi who at once asked me to play with him in the arcade zone. Auntie Shiori wanted to go shopping while Shuichi only told them it would be nice if he could go to the bookstore to buy a book.

After breakfast, the family and I took off. We rode in their car, a Jeep Grand Cherokee which looked similar to a Pajero. Mr. Hatanaka was surprised that I distinguished it instantly so I mentioned about my interest with cars and my limited knowledge in tuning them. He seemed taken aback though I could hardly understand why. Maybe it was because I was a girl and the mechanical terms that were coming out from my mouth seemed to be rather off. Girls in my age usually busied themselves with frilly dresses, shoes, bags and makeup not with cables, batteries and cars. But then again, I preferred not to be the usual one.

"Then I don't have to bother bringing the car to the mechanic anymore, Shiori," Mr. Hatanaka commented as we hopped in the car. "It seems like we have our own personal mechanic now."

I sat on the back seat with Shuichi and little Shuichi in between us which did spare my nerves and made me comfortable. The kid mostly talked to me, challenged and questioned my gaming skills that made me figured out he was such a chatterer. He never shut his mouth until we reached the mall.

In the mall, Auntie Shiori's shopping went first and I was rather surprise and glad to note that she wasn't a shopaholic like my Mom. She only brought three dresses and a pair of shoes for Mr. Hatanaka unlike my Mom who would have bought a dozen or more in one blow. It was much brief and easier compare to the similar trips I'd taken with my Mom. I couldn't be much happier.

Our next stop was for little Shuichi's wish, the arcade zone. It had been weeks since I last played video games. What was with all the essays and research papers the school provided me with. It made me anxious to play with him and disappoint his expectation—or if I was being true to myself, I was more concerned to the degrading possibility of being beaten by a kid. With a stroke of luck, though, my skills hadn't petered out and I earned admiration from the kid. I won four out of six games: Undead City, Battle Royale, Crisis Mode and Beast Mauled. He won two games from Goblin City, the Three-Seven and King of the Mountain. Figured out that he had a tutor in it—his older brother, Shuichi Minamino. Yeah, big surprise! Who would have thought he had a life other than sticking his nose under a book.

I shot a surprise glance at Mr. Smarty Pants after little Shuichi had announced that but instead of the smug look I was expecting to see, the corners of his mouth slightly turned down into a small frown as if that bothered him though I didn't have the slightest idea why. It was not like I was planning to broadcast that on school. I was not a gossipmonger.

That was one of the reasons why I sometimes considered the guy a freak. Some of his reactions never seemed to fit in or out of place. Like this one. Shouldn't he be happy or proud that his little brother gave him the credit? Kids in little Shuichi's age normally wouldn't do that. They are in that age when they want to prove themselves and receive admiration from their peers without any help from the adults. Back when I was in little Shuichi's age, I wouldn't probably mention that.

But it was not the only strange thing I noticed that day. Another one happened when we were in the bookstore. I was scanning the books in the classic section and Shuichi was standing in front of the shelf a few yards away from where I was, skimming through the pages of a thick book. Two girls behind my back took notice of him, murmuring and giggling like little girls.

"He's really good-looking, don't you think?" one of them whispered.

"Yes. He must be in college," the other one replied and then with a giggle said, "Would you think he'll call me if I give him my telephone number?"

"Yeah, right, as if he would even talk to you here."

"Would you like to have a bet then?"

I rolled my eyes in disgust. Wasn't it more appropriate if they'd turn their attentions to the books instead of drooling over a pretty lad? This _was_ a bookstore after all _not _a club.

"Could you please keep it down," I told them, looking sternly over my shoulder.

The two girls appeared to be in the same age as I, maybe even a year or two younger—high school freshmen, I guessed. The smaller girl bit her lip while the other one with the brunette hair scowled at me like I'd gate-crashed her party.

"Mind your own business," she muttered under her breath and pulled her friend away.

My brows furrowed. "Then mind the books not the boys in the bookstore."

When they were gone, I heaved a sigh. Jeez. What _a_n impertinent girl!

Someone tapped me on the shoulder.

I turned around and saw an old man, his golden-brown skin withered and his long hair gray. He was a few inches smaller than me and appeared to suffer from osteoporosis, skinny and his frail-looking shoulders hunched, with gray narrowed eyes that bothered me. They seemed manic and unnerving to look into but they held my gaze.

"Can you please tell me the way to the comfort room, miss?" his voice was croaky.

"Uh…Um…I'm not quite sure…but I think it's in that—"

"There are no comfort rooms on this level, sir," a velvet-muted voice intervened and I looked up to see Shuichi Minamino standing behind the old man with an unfathomable expression on his face. His eyes caught me off guard, they were like stones again—hard, cold emeralds.

I returned my eyes on the old man who was now looking at Shuichi. I thought I saw the old man flinch. What was with Shuichi? Was he scaring the old man for humor's sake? It didn't look to me like that.

"Oh, is that so…" the old man said, his voice marred with strain. "Thank you for helping me, young man." And with that, the old man left. I kept my eyes on his back as he slowly tottered his way out of the bookstore with weak knees.

"We better go," I heard Shuichi said behind me.

I turned to him, pretty peeved with what he had done. He should start checking his manners.

"I thought you'll buy a book," I replied, my voice a tad curt.

"I couldn't find anything worthy of note," he answered nonchalantly. "Perhaps you could give me some suggestions." By then, his green eyes softened and I lost my edge. I had to look down.

"Here," I said, pointing at the row of classic books in front of me. "Those are William Shakespeare's works. Try Macbeth, it's one of the most famous Scottish plays—revolves around tragedy. If you prefer comedy then go for The Twelfth Night."

I didn't go for Romeo and Juliet. He was a book worm. He probably had already read that. And besides, I wasn't quite sure if he would go for romance. He didn't seem to be the type.

"Maybe next time, Yotsuba," he said. "Shuichi is probably impatient now and it's time for lunch, we need to go."

I nodded.

He started walking but I stayed in my place, watching him. What was his problem with the old man? It was unlikely to tell that they know each other but with Shuichi's expression minutes ago, I could tell he didn't like the old man's presence—very much.

I wondered why.


	6. Chapter 5: Childhood Sweetheart

**5. Childhood Sweetheart**

_THE NEXT DAYS_ that passed didn't turn out bad as I anticipated. Mom called me on the night of Sunday and asked me how I was doing but when her line of questions became closer to grilling, I suspected she wanted to know something more than that of my personal condition—maybe some news regarding the improvement of Shuichi's behavior (which I was still sure she had something to do about). I didn't give her the pleasure of it, though, and avoided the topic. It was Monday morning that had been a pinprick complicated. It was a school day, Auntie Shiori thought I and Shuichi would go to school together, but, of course, that didn't happen. I made up a false excuse that I had to go early to school because I volunteered to help the Baseball team and was needed that morning for their practice. Auntie Shiori seemed to buy it and let me leave the house earlier than Shuichi.

Shuichi didn't look suspicious about it. Perhaps he knew my connection to Takeshi. Yes, I wasn't popular but my best friend was. He was a baseball player of Meio, remember? It made my excuse fairly credible.

Takeshi, on the other hand, was surprised when he saw me in their practice Monday morning at school. He was holding a baseball bat when I came into view. The idiot smiled so wide it looked like it would hurt his cheeks and waved at me, completely forgetting the game. The ball he was supposed to hit smacked on the other player's gloved hand into a strike. The team captain approached him, whacked him with his baseball cap and ordered him to focus.

When their practice was finished, Takeshi and I sat on the bench. As we drank the sodas I bought on my way to school, he started to ask and I half-heartedly told him the truth.

After he had a hearty laugh, he ogled me and said, "You really told them that you volunteered to help our team?"

"When you are desperate, you'll do just about anything," I said curtly.

"You even used _your _boyfriend's favorite sport to spare you," he continued, enjoying himself. "You're unbelievable!"

I knew he was just teasing but I couldn't ignore the butterflies fluttering in my stomach as he said the words "your boyfriend". I liked it _more_ than I should.

I scowled at him. "Three things, Takeshi Haato: First of all, you are _not _my boyfriend. Second, I thought _kendo_ was your favorite sport. And third, I'm quite _sure_ there will come a time when you'll do the same thing. I mean wouldn't you lie for the sake of your own self or someone you love?"

His expression became blank for a few seconds before an impish grin stretched across his face.

"Yes, to protect _my_ girlfriend I would," he joked and popped his eyebrows up and down.

I blushed and hoped he'd take it as an upshot of annoyance. I wanted to punch him right then and there, and tell him to buzz off before he started to give me any false hopes.

"And if there is a matter of life and death involve," he added. "But obviously, in your situation, _it isn't_."

"It _is_ a matter of life and death, Takeshi—my life."

He laughed again. "Well, at least, there's a good outcome."

I raised an eyebrow.

"You get to spend more time with me and start fulfilling your duties as a girlfriend," he answered, chortling. "You can start now by cheering your boyfriend with cute purple pomp—" By then, I had stopped listening and smacked him right in the head with my hand. I left him in the bench, groaning and rubbing his fully developed tumid head.

Four days passed and I evaded having Shuichi on my flanks successfully—funny how history seemed to repeat itself only on the contrary that I was the one avoiding him now. I always went to school forty-five minutes ahead of him and would return home half an hour late. The former was provided with the same excuse about the baseball team, though I actually never helped them… I just spent my time daydreaming or reading a book as they practiced—figured out that no matter how much I watched the game still I wouldn't understand it. Takeshi couldn't be much happier about it, though. Now he got someone to tease through the dull mornings and saved him from the temptation of skipping their practices. Meanwhile, the latter one was provided with an excuse that involved my extracurricular activity—the Drama Club. This one wasn't a lie. We really were obliged to show up at our club room after class.

In all this evasion, only one thing bothered me. Shuichi didn't seem to mind it at all. Not that I wanted him to care or what, but it was like he didn't give any damn either if I walked with him to school or not. Shouldn't he be thankful that I was protecting his reputation? Though, of course, mine was more important and I hardly care about his, still I was expecting some gratitude here. If the whole Meio knew we were staying under the same roof, only hell knew what could happen.

When we're at the house, I barely talked to the guy except in front of Auntie Shiori and Mr. Hatanaka, to say good morning or goodnight, or whenever he asked me a direct question which he rarely did. Slowly, I figured out it wasn't hard living with him in the same house. He was like the wind, sometimes you could feel it, sometimes you could hear it, but most of the time you couldn't—except, of course that you could see him. His parents neither seemed to notice the odd civility so it was fine.

What I was surprised of was to find a sibling-like kinship growing between myself and little Shuichi. I'd never really given any thoughts on having a younger sibling. I was contented being the only child and was thankful not to share my parents and the things they gave me with anyone. Well, except now… Made me wonder what reaction my mother would have if I called her and asked for a little brother. That seemed to be something amusing to do.

Friday came and I expected the same things to happen. I was starting to get used to it, actually: wake up early, eat breakfast with the Minaminos/Hatanakas, go to school, be there at the baseball practice, attend my classes, proceed to club room after it, go back home, eat dinner and sleep. It was beginning to form monotony, but I preferred that.

Yes, there were still times Shuichi's weirdness would get my attention but I worked hard to keep myself from thinking about it. Things would go back to its usual way in a span of three weeks, and after that, I was quite sure our cold treatment to each other would too. It would seem silly to waste my time trying to understand him or know him better.

I only wanted to think of the approaching month and disregard anything unrelated to it, because with that, I knew it would make this whole stay-over easier for me…well, at least, psychologically.

That was why I'd thought Friday would be as typical as any other day, but boy, I was wrong.

That night, an unexpected visitor came.

Mr. Hatanaka wasn't home yet and Auntie Shiori was starting to prepare dinner when I decided to go downstairs to the living room, confident that no red-head was lurking there. The guy hardly left his room every time he arrived from school. He would usually just come out either to eat or watch the late-night news with Mr. Hatanaka. Sometimes, I wondered if there was something else other than studying and reading a book that kept him busy locked there. I mean, his life would seem pretty suck if all he did were those two, but, then again, the guy epitomized the classic nerd—that alone should explain it, I guessed.

Little Shuichi was sitting on the couch when I came down, watching TV. I went to stand next to the sofa and turned my eyes to the TV, assuming to find the show interesting. But it wasn't, for it was just a silly cartoon show.

I rolled my eyes at the kid. "Of all the shows you would watch, you had to pick that. _Sheesh_, how old are you, five?"

He blushed and stuck his tongue at me.

I laughed and dodged the elbow he threw towards my ribs.

I ruffled his hair and he got up from the sofa to grab me until we ended up playfully strangling each other on the couch. These playful sparring matches and teasing became frequent as our sibling-like bond grew. Auntie Shiori and Mr. Hatanaka were never bothered by this. They merely noted it as something "humorous" and "entertaining" to watch.

I was about to tickle little Shuichi to make him laugh until he cry when the doorbell rang and interrupted us. Our heads comically snapped up at the same time and turned to the door. Obviously, that wasn't Mr. Hatanaka.

"Shuichi, dear, could you please get the door," Auntie Shiori said from the kitchen.

"On it," little Shuichi stood up from the couch and I followed him to the front door.

He opened the door and a young lady who appeared to be in my age greeted us. She had long brown hair, milk-chocolate eyes and a very charming face. But when she saw us, the sweet look on her face faded and changed into a confused one as if she was expecting someone else to open the door _not_ us—which in my opinion, was _so_ out of place. Shouldn't we be the one confused because we didn't know her in the first place? After all, she was the one who knocked on the door, an enough proof to confirm that she knew someone who lives here.

"Uh, well, good evening. Is Shuichi there?" she asked with a childlike voice that went with her cute face.

I turned my eyes to little Shuichi with a "you-know-this-girl?" look but the kid mirrored the same amount of bafflement when he looked at me. It took me a second to realize that the girl wasn't looking for little Shuichi, but perhaps for the older one.

My eyes flickered back to the girl in scrutiny. Was she one of Shuichi's fan girls? She didn't seem to be the googly-eyed girl type, so maybe she was his classmate or lab partner. It had to be either of those two. It was better than to think this girl was one of his ex-girlfriends. _Hah!_ He could only be so lucky if he could find one. I mean, n_o_ normal girl could possibly put up with such a know-it-all like him. And I was quite sure that was the reason why even though there were a lot of girls who worshipped him, only a few had the guts to talk or go closer to him. The rational part of their minds told them what their pheromones would never understand; he _was_ unapproachable and he _preferred_ it that way.

Yet, on the other hand, I might be wrong. I was never a good judge of people's character. Takeshi often teased me about it, saying it came from being a silly paranoid. I disagreed and defended myself, telling him I wasn't just good in guessing.

"You're looking for Shuichi Minamino," I said it as a statement but the girl took it as a question and nodded, confirming it.

"Who is that, Yotsuba?" a voice interrupted us and when I turned around, Auntie Shiori was there.

"Mrs. Minamino," I heard the girl said with arrant familiarity. "You still remember me? Maya Kitajima, Shuichi's classmate back in junior high."

My head whipped back to the girl in astonishment. Damn, she really might be one of Shuichi's past girlfriends, or rather, his only ex-girlfriend. _Gosh,_ how the hell had she stood a guy like _that_? I wanted to ask her—_not_ that_ I_ care, but it was just something really intriguing.

"Maya…Oh, yes, I think I remember you. You're the girl who used to come here and lend notes to my son every time he was absent in school," Auntie Shiori mused out, warmly invited her inside, and then turned to Little Shuichi, "Shuichi, could you please call your brother and tell him to come downstairs."

"Aye, my lady," the kid mimicked a military salute and made his way upstairs.

"Shuichi…?" Maya Kitajima murmured curiously when the kid was out of sight.

Auntie Shiori smiled at her. "Yes, he's name is also Shuichi. He's my son. I married his father last July."

"Wow. Congratulations, Mrs. Minamino," the girl said, her face exaggeratedly exultant. "Or should it be more appropriate if I call you Mrs.…?"

"Mrs. Hatanaka," answered Auntie Shiori and smiled.

"Mrs. Hatanaka, then," she giggled.

I internally frowned. I was starting to have the impression that the girl was trying her best to look sweet and all-that-wonderful in the eyes of Auntie Shiori, possibly to earn her approval one day if ever she and Shuichi continued their unfinished romance. _Nice strategy_…quite reminded me of my Mom and her petty conspiracies.

The girl eyes then turned to me and I had to fix the sarcastic expression on my face and forced myself to smile. Her answering smile was just as timid.

Auntie Shiori noticed this and introduced me to the girl. After Maya Kitajima and I nodded politely to each other and said hi, Auntie Shiori led her to the living room and asked her to take a seat while waiting for Shuichi. But she didn't have to wait for long because as she was about to sit in the couch, little Shuichi walked into the room with his older brother following behind him.

"Shuichi!" the girl exclaimed and immediately straightened her stance, her face lightening up like that of a kid on Christmas morning. "It's been so long!"

Her excitement over his appearance was bleakly predictable, I was even expecting for a made-for-TV scene to unfold in the middle of the room, the scene wherein the girl would run to the boy and lock him in an ardent embrace. Too bad, Maya Kitajima didn't do it. Though I was fairly suspicious that the only thing stopping her from doing that was our very own presence in the room—Auntie Shiori, little Shuichi and I to be specific.

"Yes, it had been, Maya," Shuichi answered with perfect cordiality and an affable smile on his pretty face. I could easily tell he preferred her visit than mine. For one thing, he looked genuinely delighted and had no reason to put up a pretense in front of her. "It's good to see you. How's your family?"

"They're fine. It's good to see you too, Shuichi," Maya Kitajima said, her voice was sweeter than ever. "You look well, I may add, though you haven't changed much except for the hair. I never thought you would let your hair grow that long."

Shuichi lightly chuckled without any signs of being self-conscious. I wondered how he had such confidence. If it was me, I would have blush and immediately change the topic. I never liked it when people note something about my appearance or behavior in a contemptuous manner. Perhaps it was because he was sure that his long hair suited him well or he was arrogant that the girl would still like him no matter what. I was not exactly sure aside that it had something to do with vanity.

A couple of insignificant remarks from the two went on before Auntie Shiori invited the girl for dinner, which the girl was more than willing to accept. When Auntie Shiori told us she would go back to the kitchen to continue preparing dinner, I knew I only had two choices. It was either I would take this chance and offer my help to Auntie Shiori—which I was beginning to recognize that I often do whenever I felt the need to evade Shuichi—or to remain here in the living room and endure an hour or so listening to the two lovebirds talking. It barely needed a second for me to decide.

"I'll help you in the kitchen, Auntie Shiori," I abruptly said, it sounded imposing.

A faint crease between Auntie Shiori's eyebrows appeared for a second but smoothed out as she smiled at me and nodded. I could only thank the heavens for the woman's kind and naïve soul.

We went to the kitchen and Auntie Shiori asked me to peel the potatoes and carrots. I sat down in the table and worked quietly, humming a mellow song, while Auntie Shiori decided to make tea for the visitor. When she went back to the living room, carrying the tea on a tray, little Shuichi ambled into the kitchen and sat on the chair across me.

I stopped humming and turned my eyes to him. He had his chin resting in his hands and was staring intently at me.

"What?" I asked, suddenly self-conscious.

"You don't like Maya, do you?" he asked but the way he spoke the words sounded similar to a conclusion.

I grimaced at the kid. I couldn't think of anything I had done that would make him come up with that conclusion. Because from what I believed, I was fairly civilized to the girl. Not because I totally liked her, but because it was the right thing to do. If I was being candid, I hardly care about her. She was after all not my friend but Shuichi's.

"And what on earth are you talking about, huh?"

"Nothing," he shrugged and sighed.

I drew my attention back to the potatoes I was peeling. After a few seconds of silence, I chose to answer him, "Seriously, Shuichi, I am no one to give any opinions. But, on the other hand, what is it not to like about her? She seems pretty sweet."

Little Shuichi snorted at that. "But still, I like you better."

I tried not to smile, but failed. He sounded more like a kindergartener pointing the difference of his favorite teacher from the others.

"Thanks. But I don't really think that has any connection to our topic," I noted, matter-of-factly.

He rolled his eyes dramatically. "Isn't _it_ obvious? I prefer you more than her _for_ Shuichi."

I stared at him, appalled. If I was not concentrating well the peeler on my hand might have slide across the skin of my own thumb.

"And what the hell does that mean?" I demanded after being dumbstruck.

"I _like_ you for Shuichi, Yotsuba-san," he repeated. "I thought you like him too."

I bit my lip to avoid myself from uttering a bad word that I'd never said in front of a younger person. _On what circle of Hell did that ludicrous thought came from?_ Because if there was anything more impossible than the moon becoming a square, it was_ that_!

"Shuichi," I sighed. "Not because you thought of something means that's always the case. I don't know how you came up with that but I do know that it is downright silly. I'd much rather you would stop thinking about it."

"Does that mean you don't _like_ Shuichi?" he asked, dubiously.

I sighed, not bothering to hide the irritation this time. Why did I feel like my mother's presence was somewhere here in the room, affecting little Shuichi's way of thinking?

"Look here, kid, if you're going to ask me if I like your brother as a person, then, yes I do."—I couldn't help not to grimace at the unlikeness of that—"But if you're going to involve any romantic connotation on that question, then, hell _no_," I explained, putting a hard emphasis on the word 'no'. "And besides, I like someone else."

He sighed and his lower lip pouted out.

I started peeling the carrots and hoped that my explanation was enough to shut his mouth.

"But does he like you?" he asked after a few seconds.

I rolled my eyes. Sheesh, he wouldn't give up.

I looked sternly at him, opening my mouth to answer him but found myself wordless.

What was his question again? Did the person I like, like me back? Well, I knew the answer to that—no. Takeshi might tease me again and again by calling me his girlfriend but that was a joke and would remain as one too. It didn't mean anything special to him. Hah! I could only hope.

I bit my lip. I certainly didn't feel mentioning that to the kid.

Thankfully, Auntie Shiori saved the day by coming to the kitchen and putting an end to the irrelevant conversation. She asked us what we were talking about and I shrugged it off as nothing. Little Shuichi remained lounging in the kitchen as Auntie Shiori started cooking while I helped her by passing the ingredients. We were halfway finished preparing dinner when Mr. Hatanaka got home. Auntie Shiori asked little Shuichi to greet his father firsthand when we heard the front door opened and Mr. Hatanaka's voice said "I'm home". I barely heard him greet his two sons and the visitor who Shuichi politely introduced to him. Mr. Hatanaka then strolled into the kitchen and his look caught me off-guard. His shoulders that were awkwardly hunched relaxed and a smile broke across his face as soon as his eyes saw Auntie Shiori. It was a strong expression of love that I felt embarrassed, intrusive, just being in the same room.

"Welcome home, dear," Auntie Shiori had stopped what she was doing and smiled fondly at her husband. "How's work?"

"Good evening, Mr. Hatanaka," I greeted him.

"Hi to you too, Yotsuba," he greeted me back but his eyes were on Auntie Shiori, smiling at his wife. He went to his side and kissed her forehead after greeting her.

I couldn't help not to blush. The act wasn't flamboyant as Mom and Ken's were, it was rather sweet and cute, yet, somehow, the moment was so private I felt the need to look away.

I then heard little Shuichi laughed behind me.

I turned around to scowl at him and dragged him out of the kitchen back to the living room with Maya and Shuichi. The two didn't complain when we sat down on the couch and bothered them from their moment. But, at least, I gave them what privacy I could by scarcely participating in their conversation and monopolizing little Shuichi's attention so the kid couldn't disturb them.

Ten minutes later, Auntie Shiori peered out at us from the kitchen door and announced, "Dinner's ready."

We all settled ourselves in front of the table and sniffed appreciatively the delicious aroma of Auntie Shiori's dishes—a serving of tempura, chicken teriyaki and hot pot. No doubt, I would miss this once things went back to normal. Mom's dishes weren't that bad, somehow tolerable enough to eat, but compare to Auntie Shiori's cooking, they were nothing. Perhaps I should ask Auntie Shiori to teach my mother her secret recipes after she'd get back from Vegas—also mindful to categorize myself as an inept when a spatula and a frying pan was otherwise involved.

Anyway, dinner started and so was the discussion revolving around the girl.

"Shuichi mentioned you are visiting the city, so tell me, where is your family settled?" Mr. Hatanaka asked her.

"In Kagoshima, Sr. Kazuya," she answered with a smile. "My father was assigned there to work four years ago. But my family used to stay in Moshiyori."

"Moshiyori is where Yotsuba lives," Mr. Hatanaka said.

"Really?" the girl looked at me.

I nodded and smiled at her.

"You must miss the city very much?" Auntie Shiori, who was sitting at the other end of the table, across Mr. Hatanaka, asked.

"Oh, yes, very much. Kagoshima is one of the most wonderful places in Japan, but Moshiyori is closer to my heart. It is where I grew up and have met most of my friends," she said, throwing a side glance at Shuichi. "I'm so glad to be able to visit here again and had the chance to see my friends."

'_Especially Shuichi,'_ I continued her sentence in my brain. A person would have to be either a simpleton or downright ignorant if he couldn't see the particular interest the girl had for Shuichi. Even the kid noticed it, so I hardly doubt if Mr. Hatanaka and Auntie Shiori didn't.

"So are you and my brother the best of friends?" little Shuichi who was sitting beside me, suddenly pried, "Like really close?"

I shot a stern look at him, afraid that he might naughtily bring back the topic we just argued about here in front of the table—with Mr. Hatanaka, Auntie Shiori, the girl…_and_ Shuichi present. I shuddered at the thought of it.

"Drop it, kid," I murmured so low that only he could hear it, yet making sure the threat was intact.

"Well, not exactly that close, but we're friends," the girl answered casually but an odd tone that came from her told me that there was some effort involved in her nonchalance. It made me look back at her and proved my premise right. Her smile indeed looked wry and I could somehow see the disappointment lying behind her pretense.

I bowed my head, looking away from the girl, trying to control the grin stretching across my face.

Hah! I knew it was impossible for him to have a girlfriend—though, I would admit, I was wrong in one concept. The girl was very much inclined to Shuichi, I believed she wouldn't even mind if Shuichi was a devil. It was Shuichi who didn't prefer the girl not the other way around liked what I thought. Apparently, no one had ever touched the cockles of his heart yet—though I highly doubted if anyone could. The lad had _no_ heart. What would be there to touch then?

I laughed internally at my joke.

"Have you decided where you're going to college next year?" Auntie Shiori changed the topic after a moment of still awkwardness.

"I'm planning to try my luck in Tokyo University," I heard her said, her tone a little smug, "How about you, Shuichi?"

I looked up at her and knew what she was thinking; she was assuming Shuichi would go to that Ivy League university as well and probably be her school mate.

Shuichi turned his face slightly to the side to look at the girl politely as he answered her, "I'm going to work after high school, Maya."

"Work?" she repeated in disbelief, "But w_hy_? With your remarkable school records, no doubt, the Ivy League universities will accept you. They might even offer you a full academic scholarship."

'_Mr. Smarty Pants doesn't need such reassurance,'_ I wanted to tell the girl. He knew he was damned smart and I knew he was damned arrogant about it, though he never seemed to. The guy could pretend uninterested every time he topped the exams, he could act casually whenever his teachers praised his excellence but he could never hide the stanch complacency I could see hiding in it, the superb confidence that no one except him would get the spot. His little kittens (fan girls) might buy his pretenses, but not me. A liar could _never_ be deceived by another liar.

"Father offered me to work at his company," he informed her and went telling her the rest of it. I tuned him out, letting his low voice become a hum in the background as I ate. Why would I care listening to his plans after high school? It was his life involved there _not _mine.

After dinner was done, I helped Auntie Shiori clear the table and washed the dishes like any other night. I decided I should do her a favor by helping her with the household chores while I was staying here. Actually, I was a finicky one when it came to cleanliness and order but in my house I was the messy one. It came from knowing that your family could afford a cleaning crew and from a teenage impulse to find something amusing to annoy your Mom.

Once we're done, we went back to the living room and sat down to continue entertaining the visitor with simple conversations. But I was starting to grow weary. I was never one for the gatherings or long conversations. I liked solitude since quietness went together with it. My mother was a workaholic who always travelled to different places for her work while Ken practically lived in the hospital that I was often left behind alone in the house. I was used to it.

I never found any pleasure in mingling with other people either. There were Takeshi and Naomi in my friends list, and that was it. I had no social life at all.

When the visitor announced that she was about to leave around eight-thirty, I couldn't be much happier. It took all my strength not to grab her and show her the door, yearning to go back to my room and hit the sack at once. But my luck had never been good, the girl stayed for a couple of minutes as she made plans with Shuichi to go around the city tomorrow—an underhanded approach to make it appear as a friends day out rather than a date. And what was worst was that I was involuntarily dragged in it.

"You might as well join them, Yotsuba," Auntie Shiori suggested, thoughtfully. "Kazuya and I are going to work tomorrow and Shuichi would study in his friend's place. You'll be alone here in the house."

I stared at her for a moment, thinking of the appropriate words to say. I couldn't say no to her because she was _my_ Auntie Shiori, but hell nor could I say yes either. Who wanted to baby-sit two almost legal-adults on their date? Certainly not I for it was _so_ beyond my field.

"I'll be okay, Auntie Shiori," I told her, forcing myself to smile. "No need to worry, I'll be fine alone."

She frowned. "I still think it's not a good idea. I hate to think of you all alone here tomorrow for the whole day."

Suddenly Maya Kitajima barged in, "Yes, Yotsuba, why don't you join us? I'd love to spend some time with you. Shuichi wouldn't be really a big help in the mall."

I felt my lips twitched, the smile had probably looked strained by now. I'd rather much if she would keep her mouth shut.

"I agree with Maya, Yotsuba," the last person who I thought would involve himself in the conversation suddenly spoke. Shuichi then turned to me and the merest smirk crossed his face. "Assuming that you have no schedule for tomorrow, right? Or am I wrong?"

My teeth snapped together. Of course, he knew I would be free tomorrow. The baseball club didn't have any practice during Saturday. He was plainly aware of that and of the fact that I had no excuse. He was taunting me.

I scowled at him.

Why on Hades' name was he doing this? Wouldn't he be happier if he spend the day alone with his childhood sweetheart and leave me out of it? Why did he have to haul me? So he could make fun out of me, make me look stupid looking like a third wheel? Well, then damn him!

"Then it's all settled," Maya Kitajima said, smiling. "I'll be here at exact ten in the morning."

Auntie Shiori smiled, glad that everything went to her favor as well. But I was not annoyed with her. She was seeking the best of my interest, nothing more, unlike his son who nodded with a smug smile on his face.

I bit my lip and nodded, ignoring the stupid grin on his face and the desire to remove it off by making my fist connect with his jaw.

Maya Kitajima then left with Shuichi who chivalrously offered to accompany him and get her a cab. While he was gone, I took the opportunity to get myself away from the enticing lure of choking him to death or punching him out cold in one blow. Though I would gladly trade anything for the chance to do that, I knew it would bother Auntie Shiori and causing pain to someone as gentle as her was higher up on my blacklist than boiling a live Shuichi Minamino.

I bade Auntie Shiori, little Shuichi and Mr. Hatanaka "Good night" and went upstairs to my room, but not that eager to go to bed unlike earlier—knowing that tomorrow would be one of the days you'd not want to look forward to. I was about to open the door to my room when suddenly I saw something move in my peripheral and made me jump. It was little Shuichi in front of his room.

"Drat, you almost gave me a heart attack," I mused out, staring at his partly confused, partly amused expression. "I didn't hear you behind me."

"Spaced-out for tomorrow's agenda?" he flashed me a cheesy grin.

"Har har," I said, rolling my eyes.

He laughed and opened the door of his room. "Goodnight Yotsuba-san," he said. "Don't let the bed bugs bite. You've got a big day ahead of you—certainly a _day _to remember," he winked at me then quickly got inside of his room and shut the door before I could react.

I stared after him, slack-jawed. _A day to remember…?_ Did he really have to shove that to my face? Ugh! Disgusting! How could he even think of that?

I slammed the door to my room, flopped onto the lapis lazuli comforter, and hugged the pillow near me. A day to remember…? Bah! It was going to be a day to remember only because it would be a materialize nightmare.

I groaned and lay back, staring at the ceiling. My bad luck, yes that was it, it was probably sparking off again. Ugh! I couldn't think of anything bad I had done to deserve this fate: had parents that separated at an early age, had a biological father who never showed his self to me and became no more than a figment of imagination, a mother who was a crank and rarely gave me her time of the day, a step-father who was younger looking enough to be suspected as my boyfriend, and a dull monotonous existence that could hardly be called a life. I might have complained a lot, but hell, I was not a total whiner like other people I knew. No matter how hard it was, I accepted it all. I had to because it was reality. And I couldn't do anything about it, but to live with it. Regardless of my naughtiness and sarcasm—which was usual in kids my age—I knew I still deserve to be called a good girl. I rarely gave anyone a second's trouble. And I hardly doubt if anyone could do that being in my shoes.

I deeply sighed and pulled the pillow back over my eyes.

I wasn't sure when I had fallen asleep. I only knew I had when I opened my eyes to a forbidding place, to a dead forest that was dimly familiar to me. My eyes wandered around the ominous place, searching for something I couldn't put my finger on when the scene shifted and I was suddenly standing in front of a cave—the darkness coming out from its mouth seemed to stare back at me.

Déjà vu hit.

I knew why I recognized this place now. It was because I'd been here before. This was the dream I had the night my parents left for Vegas, the first night I stayed here in the Minamino Residence.

I gazed at the mouth of the cave, like what I remembered I did before, expecting the repetition. But the dream veered off course.

A faint flash of white moved inside the cave and instantly caught my entire regard. _What the hell was that?_ _What was it doing there?_

Then as if to answer my question, a white shape eased out of the shadows into the light and came to view. I stared intently at the creature, my mind boggling as I tried to put a name to it. There was a distinctly canine cast to its shape and to the way it moved. From a distance, anyone would assume it was a dog. But it wasn't. I was close enough to distinguish the difference of it from a typical dog; its muzzle more acute and its ears more pointed—its look undeniably feral. Perhaps a wolf but I couldn't really be sure. I was not an animal lover and definitely a wanna-be veterinarian. Ugh.

My eyes turned to the animal's eyes and caught me off guard to note its greenish-yellowish-hued eyes seeming too intelligent for a wild animal. I thought it would go closer to me, approach me, but instead like the first dream it continued in that still state until I woke up.

When I opened my eyes, it was still dark. I glanced, disoriented, at the digital clock on the desk. It was just four-thirty in the morning.

I yawned and rolled back onto my face. I knew I couldn't go back to sleep again. I was that type. But I stayed in bed and mulled over the animal, trying to identify its specie, until I grew tired of it. I sat up, and my head spun for a minute as the blood flowed downward. First things first—I jumped out of the bed and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

I took time in the shower without feeling the need to hurry. The steaming spray felt nice to my cold skin and relaxed my rigid muscles. I concentrated on that. I didn't want to think of anything especially about the schedule I had for this day.

When I was done, I stumbled out of the shower and wrapped myself securely in a towel, trying to hold the calming heat from the water. I rummaged the dresser and meticulously chose the clothes that would match. I ended up wearing knee-length pants, a white undershirt and a long olive and teak striped sweater with a deep v-neck cut. After that, I went back to the bathroom to blow-dry my hair and brush it to smooth perfection.

It was awfully obvious that I was doing everything to put off from going downstairs. But, of course, it was inevitable. My human body had its needs and I knew any moment from now, the cravings of my impatient stomach would make itself known by a growl.

I sighed. Must I always be the pathetic one?

Soon I was out of things to do in my room and had to face the day ahead. I shot a glance at the digital clock. It was already six-fifteen. Auntie Shiori was probably awake now. As what she said she was going to work and most likely she would leave the house with Mr. Hatanaka. She was probably eating breakfast with him at this time.

I left my room and went downstairs. It was a very quiet morning. I was not an early riser, but I always love the early morning hours. To me, everything about it should be fragile. Talking, if unavoidable, should be done in whispers; walking should be done slowly, and if possible, in stocking feet; and strenuous thinking or decision making must be kept to an absolute minimum, perhaps to the level of musing or pondering. It was a such shame that a day which started this good would turn out awful later.

"Oh, good morning there, Yotsuba," Auntie Shiori suddenly appeared on the hallway and greeted me. She was already in her formal work clothes: a deep purple silk blouse with a bow, a charcoal tweed skirt and tiny gold earrings.

"Oh, hi there, Auntie Shiori," I smiled at her, "Good morning to you too."

"Didn't sleep well?" she asked.

I shook my head, "Nah, Just happened to wake up early."

When we got to the kitchen, it didn't surprise me that Mr. Hatanaka was there eating breakfast, but seeing Shuichi adjacent to him did. Damn, it was Saturday, and he was up very early. Was he always like this? Did he ever sleep in during Saturdays? Or was it because he was so excited about his date that he hadn't sleep at all?

His green eyes suddenly turned to me and my thoughts stopped short. Why should I care about it, anyway?

"Good morning, Mr. Hatanaka, Shuichi," I said to them but kept my eyes locked on Mr. Hatanaka.

"Good morning, Yotsuba," Mr. Hatanaka said. I didn't bother to look at Shuichi, knowing that he would only nod his head to acknowledge it.

I sat down at the chair beside Auntie Shiori and settled myself with a bowl of cereal.

Not long after, little Shuichi woke up and joined us. Breakfast continued. There was little conversation in the table, mainly about everyone's schedule. When breakfast was done, Mr. Hatanaka and Auntie Shiori bade us goodbye and left, wishing us a good day.

I internally frowned at that. Yeah, as if something good would happen to me this day. Well, at least, the wish might work out for Shuichi and little Shuichi.

Once we were left behind, I went back to my room and decided to open my book and study for our Calculus test on Wednesday. I was concentrating hardly on solving and getting the first derivative and second derivative of the confounded equation when a knock in the door disturbed me. I shifted my look to the digital clock near me. It was just eight-fifty two and I highly doubted that would be Shuichi telling me Maya Kitajima was already there because she told us she would come around ten—but then again, I knew the effects of Shuichi's charisma on a girl's brain so…

"Who is it?" I asked.

"Shuichi," I heard little Shuichi said on the other side of the door.

I huffed, got off from the chair and opened the door. Little Shuichi's impish smile brought a frown into my face—some instinct was telling me he was there to open a topic I knew I wouldn't like. But the kid ignored my expression, continued to walk inside _my_ room with the stance and ego of a royal butt then carelessly flung himself into _my_ bed together with his sock-clad feet. He then rolled over to his side and stared at me in a somehow condescending way which I hated at once.

I felt my eyebrows knit together.

"What do you want, huh?" I curtly asked.

"Sit down and relax, first, Yotsuba-chan," he said in a manner which I easily detected as mocking.

I put my hands on my waist and glared at him. "I can't spare any time to act cute, Shuichi, so spit it out if you want to say something."

"Just like a grumpy old grandmamma," he grunted and pushed himself up into a sitting position. I didn't let that get to me and just proceeded to my chair, and continued studying, ignoring the presence of little Shuichi. After a few more seconds, the kid interrupted me again with an intended cough.

"Yotsuba-san?" he asked.

"What?"

"Hmm…can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Is there anything you can say other than word _what_?" he teased.

I turned my head slowly and threw him a deluxe-death-glare.

"Other than the word _'what'_, I would also love to say the words _'get out' _too you, you know," I retorted.

He just chuckled.

I turned my attention back to the math problem and sighed. I didn't know which one was more exasperating: trying your hardest to solve a complicated math problem or having a kid on your side disturbing you with nonsense?

"Where is your babysitter, anyway?" I curtly asked him, suddenly thinking and not to mention, irritated, at the thought of his older brother.

"I dunno," he answered. "But I do know that you're going to be _his_ babysitter later."

I bit my lip and internally prayed for the time when I could open my mouth and annoy someone successfully without having to be annoyed back.

"You know, Yotsuba san, I would—"

"If you continue the topic," I cut him off, not turning to him. "Let me warn you firsthand that it would be prudent of you not to because this Calculus book here weigh a ton. And I know how much you wouldn't want this to make contact with your face because no one might recognize you anymore, especially the girl of your dreams."

My statement was outrageously cold and I knew that but little Shuichi was accustomed to it, he would just often tease me back or jab me, but it surprised me when he didn't and he kept his mouth shut. Afraid that I might have finally hurt his feelings, I turned my head to him.

The kid's face was into a pout but when I was about to stand up and say sorry, I heard him murmured sarcastically with a melancholic tone the words, "Yeah, as if that would change anything."

A smile crept to my lips involuntarily. Hmm…puppy love seemed to be playing around the corner.

"I smell puppy love here…" I remarked, smiling fondly at the little kid.

He turned to me, his eyes shocked and his cheeks blushing. It was something funny to see and something you would want to laugh at, but I knew the feeling and being a girl, I was incurably sappy.

He groaned, "Ugh! What on earth are you saying, Yotsuba-san? I am not in-love!"

This time I turned my chair to his direction, unable to restrain myself and my curiosity, "Oh, come on! You are _so_ like your brother, you know that. Always thinking you could fool people with your calm exteriors and casual charades—confident that people would buy it, well they do, but _not _me. I see more than what meets the eye. So spout it, kid."

His cheeks puffed up in a very childish manner but then he sighed and gave up.

"Fine, I do like someone," he answered me and I couldn't help not to giggle, earning a glare from the little kid. "But as far as anyone besides me is concerned, she doesn't like me. I don't even know if she knows me."

"Jeez, so much for making yourself down," I remarked. "Let me ask you, did you even make a move to introduce yourself to her personally, tried to sit with her during lunch time or pretend to accidentally meet her by the locker to say hi and chat?"

"No."

I rolled my eyes. "Look. Then why don't you try?"

"Yeah, as if that would help," he replied sarcastically. "Even if I do those things, that won't count at all. Yeah, maybe, that is if I'm like Shuichi, a straight-A student, popular in school and with the girls."

"Bah! That's the stupidest thing I ever heard!" I exclaimed and earned a surprised look from little Shuichi. "So what if he's popular? Or a straight-A student? You _are_ not him! And even if he's like that, does he have a girlfriend? None, right? N-O-N-E! None! If you want to earn someone's attention, Kid, then learn to be confident. Don't ever compare yourself to your brother. Not every girl goes for him. I, myself is one. And I could confidently tell you that if you were as older as him, I would prefer you more than him."

Yes, that _was_ so true.

"Really?"

"E-yup!"

"Why?"

"Because it's _better_ to like or love someone for who he is _not_ what he is," I answered. "Girls go for Shuichi because he's smart, he's handsome, and he's popular—because he's cool. Girls go for that. But what if he's not then they won't, right? They like Shuichi for not who he is _but_ for what he is. You are way luckier than your brother, kid, because if someone likes you then she likes you for whom you really are not for what you are. If we like someone for who they are, it is sincere and it won't change whatever happens because we accept that person for whoever he is."

The kid stared at me and then grinned, "Wow, Yotsuba-chan! I can't believe _those_ words coming out from someone _like_ you."

I rolled my eyes and sarcastically said, "Jeez, thanks for the compliment."

He smiled and winked, "No, thank you. Thanks for the insight. Made me feel better."

"Be confident, kid," I said. "Shuichi might be better looking than you but he's a prima donna, finickier than a girl. And who _wants_ that for a boyfriend? Sue me for saying that but it's true."

The kid laughed.

I huffed and got up from chair, "Now, now, off you go, kid. I need to ace my Calculus test on Wednesday. I don't know how on Earth will I be able to do that but I do know some interruption from an infatuated teen will certainly not help."

Little Shuichi rolled his eyes heavenward but got off my bed and was about to leave my room when he turned back to me, "About the guy you like, Yotsuba-chan, I bet he's really lucky to have someone like you—someone who likes him for who he is not for what he is."

"That is if I can get _him_ to realize that!" I laughed humorlessly. "But anyhow, thanks."

"I'm sure he will," the kid winked at me.

I smiled at the kid. I didn't know why or how but a part of me wanted to believe in that, wanted to hold on to those words. How silly of me.

"But then again don't expect too much, sappy dreamer," the kid continued and stuck out his tongue at me. Lovely.

"Brat," I muttered as I playfully pushed him towards the door.

"Now where is your persnickety brother to take care of you," I mused out as I opened the door and to my extreme mortification recognized a familiar silhouette in my peripheral. It was the Red-head devil leaning against the wall next to my door.

Damn, he heard that for sure.

"Maya called five minutes ago," he began.

I gulped as I slowly turned my head to him.

"She was asking if we could just meet her up in a certain place near her hotel," he continued, turned his head a fraction toward me without meeting my gaze, I might add. "Considered the places she wants to visit, Moshiyori Subway Station seems to be the wisest choice. We'll meet her there at exact ten."

At exact ten? What time was it, anyway? I looked back inside my room and caught glimpse of the time, it was already nine forty. Nine-forty for Heaven's sake!

I looked back at Shuichi, incredulous. Was he expecting me to get ready for less than five minutes?

"I'll just wait for you downstairs," he said in a casual tone. Seemingly oblivious to the time, he then turned his back and walked away—leaving me there like a post and with the question…_How the hell would I be able to get ready in time?_


	7. Chapter 6: Psychic

**6. Psychic**

_I LOVED MOSHIYORI—_it was in this place where I grew up and lived most of my life. I loved this vigorous, developing city. I loved everything about it from the shopping malls up to the small parks. That why never in my entire life had I thought that I would walk on its streets and thoroughly dislike it, only now while having Shuichi Minamino by my side.

As I saw a boy around my age about to pass by, I apprehensively lowered my head and slowed my pace to fall behind Shuichi, afraid that he was a student from Meio and might recognize us.

You see, Meio Private Academy was a ten-minute ride away from Moshiyori. And if I know it correctly, more or less than twenty percent of its students (some acquainted to me) resides here in this city meaning there was a dire possibility (considering my luck and all) that we could accidentally bump into one of those students and be the center of the gossip news the next morning.

Believe me, there was nothing any worse than high school gossips. It had the immense power to make a student's life a living hell and _that_ wasn't an exaggeration.

And with my situation, I couldn't take any risk. Even if just one tiny spark of gossip was created, that could easily lead the whole school in knowing my secret—that I, Yotsuba Shiratomi, was currently staying in the house of the school prodigy, Shuichi Minamino. And if that happened, hell would break lose—and I mean that more literally than you could possibly imagine. Just thinking of the reactions Shuichi's fan girls would have could easily make my blood run cold.

So here I was, hyper-aware of my surroundings, feeling like a fugitive on the hide with both paranoia and anxiousness working overtime.

I scowled at the back of the Red-head devil walking in front of me with one solid thing in my mind—my hatred towards him.

I know this might sound pretty absurd but if there was one thing beside my bad luck that I could blame for my life's dysfunctions, it was him. Look, if it wasn't for him, I was supposed to be back at their house, quietly studying Calculus and have a greater chance on passing the subject. But here I was, wasting my time accompanying him on his stupid date with the Kitajima girl. Seriously, it was as if he was born destined to help my bad luck in making my life more awful—

Suddenly the devil stopped walking and I bumped into him, my good ole forehead making contact with his back.

"Ow," I moaned, rubbing at my head. Who would have thought that someone who didn't seem to have a small Herculean muscle in his body have a hard back? The thought of him, _the nerd_, working out would have been comical if I wasn't so irritated at him.

"A little warning would be helpful," I said curtly.

Shuichi looked at me over his shoulder.

"I thought the streetlights were enough." His tone was a matter-of-fact.

I glowered at his androgynous face. No matter how good he could make his voice casual, I hoped he didn't think so little of me as to believe sarcasm wasn't implied there.

"Well, perhaps it's because I can't see it," I snapped and pushed him aside, not a tad ashamed of the attitude I was showing him. I was just fed up.

He quietly stepped aside, not saying a word.

I glared at the streetlight, waiting for it to change colors so I could leave him behind. I could go to the Subway Station alone, meet Maya before him, tell her I have something important to do and then leave. That might even make the girl happy, she could have Shuichi alone for the entire day without a third wheel tailing behind.

But then I saw Shuichi looked at me in my peripheral with an unusual softness in his face that bothered me much to my dislike.

I sighed. Damn conscience.

"Sorry," I quickly said but kept my gaze ahead. I didn't want him to think it was that easy to soften me. I was still pissed at him. "I'm just not in the mood."

He nodded and looked forward.

When we arrived at the Subway Station, Maya Kitajima was already there, waiting for us. As soon as she saw us, she waved her hand and ran towards our direction. It was very obvious she took an extra time on the hair and make-up department. She did look beautiful though, I might add for her credit.

"Good morning, Shuichi, Yotsuba," she greeted us. "I thought you two would be late."

She smiled when she said that but her eyes flickered to me for a jiffy with a trace of emotion I could point out as contempt. Was she thinking that I would act like a prima donna? Or was she thinking of me as a rival for her Prince's affection with a plan to draw them apart? Well, if it was the latter, she didn't have to worry about a thing. She could have her Prince alone. And if she really was damned eager about him, she could take him home to Kagoshima. I might even thank her.

"So what's the plan?" Shuichi said, breaking the awkward silence.

"I want to watch a movie," Maya answered which made my brows drew together. I thought she told Shuichi she wanted to go around the city, and when did watching a movie ever became a part of that.

"I saw this movie's trailer and liked it instantly. I want to see it with you and know what you think about it," she continued and to my amazement, grabbed Shuichi's arm.

Wow, she sure was flamboyant with her feelings.

Shuichi smiled, trying to steady his face into politeness as Maya dragged him. It was like seeing a younger version of my Mom. And yes, it _was _creepy.

"Yotsuba," Maya called me when I wasn't leaving my place. "Come on."

I tried to smile at her as I followed them.

Once we got to the theater, Maya chose a horror movie entitled "Summon". Its poster showed a pale girl wearing an eerie nightgown, holding a black ominous book on her hand and a white candle on the other, her shadow behind forming a grotesque monster figure.

I frowned and found it odd that she would pick out a horror flick. I was counting that she would choose a romantic one but maybe the girl wasn't running true to her form yet.

We grabbed seats in the middle of a row halfway to the back. I was more than willing to give Maya the spot next to Shuichi. I certainly didn't want her to think that I got my bait up for Shuichi because besides from that idea being ridiculous, it was downright disgusting as well. It was better to clear things at once.

Not long after, the lights dimmed as the trailers began but Maya kept talking to Shuichi. It was somehow irritating but I tried to ignore her voice and looked for a nice upcoming movie among the previews. After two more trailers, the movie started and the murmurs subsided.

We were barely twenty minutes into the film when I realized it was a dead bore. I swore I've seen the same story line thousand times with minor variations. The movie's theme was merely about revenge; a young teenage girl, the same one in the poster, got betrayed by her boyfriend and best friend went to seek vengeance. And there came in the black book with spells and chants, which of course, she would use for her retribution.

It wasn't really scary. Actually, it sucked. The actors played their characters poorly and the monsters were depicted exaggeratedly.

I grunted when I saw a demon who looked more like an old woman trying hard to look like a witch for Halloween. Maya heard it and turned her attention to me. Unlike me, she was absorbed with the story and seemed to enjoy the ridiculousness of it all. I heard her shriek once or twice too.

"Why? Is there something wrong?" she asked, her brows furrowed.

"Demons don't look anything closer to that," I answered her wryly.

I didn't know if I putted any strange emphasis on that phrase or what, but Maya looked at me with wide eyes that were almost alarmed. "And how would you know?" she asked.

Her question struck me. It sounded very stupid. I thought she was just joking but she did look like she wanted to know the answer. Perhaps Shuichi heard her tone too for he took his eyes off the screen and turned to look at us with an odd expression.

"Are you a psychic?" Maya asked again when I didn't answer.

I felt my brows drew together. Psychic? What on Earth was this girl talking about?

"Hell no," I laughed without humor. "I just think that if demons really exist, they would look more similar to gnomes and ogres rather than that."

"Oh," she dropped the subject and quickly turned her eyes back to the movie as if nothing happened. The same went for Shuichi.

What a strange girl, I thought. Did she really believe that demons exist? …Or that ghost and other supernatural beings were lurking somewhere out there? Sheesh, talked about imagination. This girl seemed to have plenty of it.

Oh well, strange girl met strange boy. Seemed to be a good pair, at least, I thought funnily.

The rest of the movie was comprised of ghoulish demon attacks and endless screaming from the chosen people they were summoned to kill, their numbers dwindling quickly until the only person left was the girl's boyfriend. It was in that part that I started watching the movie with slight interest as the girl summoned the strongest and most terrible of all the demons, the demon which devours the soul of its victims. As some people from the crowd screamed including Maya, I almost guffawed as the demon came out from the summoning pentagram into full view. It looked incredibly hideous and absurd at the same time. The demon went for its victim, the girl's boyfriend and took its soul without mercy in an unconvincing depiction. Then a twist happened, the demon surprisingly went to hunt the girl after he was through with the boy. While running for her life, the girl then saw in the last page of the book that calling the last demon required a big sacrifice and that was the soul of the one who summoned it—hers. In the end, the girl died, realizing too late what her vengeance had brought upon her.

"That's a good one," Maya Kitajima remarked as we walked out of the theater. "What do you think, Shuichi?"

"It was fine," Shuichi answered.

I grimaced. I'd bet a hundred yen he was bored with it. He was just damned polite to admit it.

"How about you, Yotsuba?" she turned to me.

"An amateur film," I frankly told her. "Nice plot but a recycled one. Wouldn't blame the writer though, they do that a lot. While on the part of the actors, I could say I saw little characterization. And the demons—Huh! If demons did really exist, I think they'd be offended by that film. They were horribly portrayed there."

Maya shrugged. While Shuichi's lips twitched, fighting a smile.

"I think I'd agree with her on the last part though," I heard Shuichi wittily murmured to Maya.

We went to eat lunch in a fast-food restaurant a few blocks away from the theater. The two of them talked most of the time, discussing topic after another as we ate. I scarcely joined in their conversation, choosing to busy myself with my delicious meal.

As I took a bite of the cheeseburger, Takeshi suddenly went into my mind. He liked cheeseburgers and was a big fan of fast-food chains like I was. We were both the type that liked our food to be served as soon as we order it unlike in those fancy restaurants that seemed to take forever before they could serve your ordered dish—a thing we both find irritating.

How I wondered if Takeshi was already eating his lunch now like I do…

"I think I want a sundae," Maya said, disturbing my thoughts. "You want one, guys?"

Shuichi smiled and shook his head. "No, thank you."

"I'll pass," I answered her and smiled timidly.

"Okay," she said and walked off to the counter, leaving Shuichi and I alone in the table.

Utter silence followed and as it grew, it felt like the abstract wall of awkwardness separating us both was materializing. The air seemed to be thickening. I placed the cheeseburger down, took a sip of my milkshake and looked outside the glass wall beside me, trying to ignore the odd feeling in my stomach.

Why did it felt like this every time I get to be alone with him?

Why was I still affected by his presence? Still intimidated by him?

That shouldn't be. I'd been staying in their house for a week now. I should be accustomed to him and everything by this point—desensitized to this feeling. Only it didn't seem to be in that way. And I couldn't help wondering why.

"Yotsuba," I heard him called my name and I flinched.

What _now_?

I turned my head slowly to his direction, unwillingly. I didn't want to feel what I knew I might feel when I looked at his odd green eyes. You could often hear people say that eyes are the windows to one's soul, that it was easy knowing a person's intention by looking into them. True or not, what I could tell was Shuichi's eyes had some strange profundity into them. It was like you could see into them for miles and miles, but nowhere in their bottomless depths could you see the real thing going inside his head—oddly impenetrable, that was.

My expression was wary when I finally turned to him but his expression still caught me off guard. His pretty face was friendly, open, a thing I was not expecting after what I did earlier on the streets.

"So how's the baseball team?" he asked.

I stared at him for a second, puzzled. Seriously, did he _just_ ask me about our school's baseball team?

"They're good to go, I think," I answered, looking over at the straw in my milkshake to hide my expression. Baseball was the last thing on Earth I'd expected he'd talk to me about. I couldn't fathom where the interest was coming from. It didn't seem to be his type.

"The team's aiming for the nationals. I heard they're very confident they will make it this year," he continued.

I nodded, inattentively, as paranoia overwhelmed me. I had the feeling he was forcing himself to make small talk with me. It was like he was aware of the awkwardness I was feeling and was trying to keep my mind off of it. But anyhow, I kept talking.

"The captain's giving them a hard time," I said to him as I touched the tip of the straw, still reluctant to meet his gaze. "I doubt if they'll make it alive before the competition starts."

"I see," he said, a smile in his voice. A short paused. "One of your classmates plays with the team, right? Haato Takeshi is his name if I'm not mistaken."

I couldn't help to look at him this time as he mentioned the name of my best friend. Shuichi's face remained amiable, a smile playing around the edges of his lips. But his eyes were unreadable.

"Takeshi, yes, he does," I answered him.

"Baseball is his life. You could say he plays ball for a living in a sense," I continued, half-smiling. "He's been in the team since first year. He's one of the pitchers." I bragged, proud as a PTA mom with a student on the principal's list.

"You two seem pretty close," he remarked.

My chin raised a fraction. "We're best friends, actually. We get along pretty well and have lot of things in common. He is in many ways just like the big brother I always wanted."

He nodded; the little smile in his face grew more pronounced.

"Does he live here in Moshiyori as well?"

"Nope, he lives in an apartment near our school."

"All by himself?" he queried.

"Yep, self-support himself," I said to him. "He's father died when he was young while he's mother…well, he never really talked too much about her. All I know is that she's living in another country with her new family. But he has a grandfather who lives in Shiranime."

"Shiranime?" he repeated.

"Yes, the place where they build these ultra-large snowmen during the winter season," I continued. "Takeshi usually goes there during the weekends. His grandfather is the high priest in one of the shrines there, a very good man and funny too…" I trailed off as something bothered me.

Why the hell was I telling Takeshi's life to Shuichi? It seemed pretty off. Yes, Takeshi was my best friend but that didn't give me any rights to share his life to anyone. Realizing this, I bit my lip.

Damn was I talkative.

Shuichi raised an eyebrow, curious to why I had suddenly stopped. Fortunately, Maya came back to our table with her sundae, saving me from answering Shuichi's unspoken question.

"What are the two of you talking about?" she asked.

"We're talking about Yotsuba's best friend," Shuichi answered, smiling at me.

I nodded and coyly smiled at Maya.

She sat back on her chair and we continued eating. The two rattled on with their conversation and I let them be, minding my own business again. I felt thoroughly embarrassed at what I have just done. I was too loquacious about somebody else's life and it made me feel bad knowing it didn't make me any different to the usual gossipmongers.

I deeply sighed as I took pity of myself.

After we ate, we all went to the mall as what it was supposed to be in the original plan. We walked in store after stores, and it barely needed a second for me to conclude that Maya like any other women enjoyed shopping. She took a considerable amount of time rummaging every shop with delight, searching for an item that she might want to buy; a dress here, an accessory there or a pair of shoes. This didn't bother me. I had more terrible shopping trips with my Mom, trips that were more exhausting and more nerve-wracking. In due time, I became used to them that I hardly ever complain. You could say it trained me in extending my patience with the _psychologically-untreated shopaholics_.

Shuichi and I silently followed Maya at any place where her feet took her to. I merely watched her as she tried things on, not in the mood to shop for myself like most of the time. Every now and then, she would ask my opinion and I would answer her with a nice critique.

It even surprised me when she bought me a jade bracelet in one of the accessory shops.

"Thanks for helping me," she sweetly said as she handed me the small paper bag containing the bracelet. "Accept this as a token of my gratitude."

I held up both my hands, palms forward. "Nah, it's nothing. You don't have to give me anything. Besides, it will look better on you."

She smiled and shook her head. "No, I want you to keep it." She took the bracelet out of the bag and held my wrist out so she could put it on, "See, perfect fit."

I felt my cheeks warm up. This was one thing I hadn't anticipated, I didn't have the slightest idea how to react.

"Thank you," I muttered shyly.

"You're welcome," was her reply paired with a genuine smile on her face. And in that second, I saw the possibility of how we could become good friends someday. Maybe she _really_ was nice.

"I just knew you would be able help to me unlike Shuichi," she remarked, rolling her eyes to his direction. He was standing near the doorway of the store, hands in his pockets, his face impassive before he looked at our direction and smiled.

I'd give it to him, though; he really took the word "gentleman" to a higher level. Although he never participated in critiquing the clothes for Maya, he never complained or showed any annoyance the entire time she was shopping. I was even impressed when he willingly carried Maya's shopping bags without her having to ask him to. That was something you would rarely see in a guy. Even fine-looking Ken knew how to show displeasure in my mother's shopping jaunts. It did make him a little nicer in my eyes.

The shopping didn't take long as I expected. Maya decided to call the hotel to pick up the shopping bags from the mall so we could walk around the city without having to carry them. Shuichi could only be so grateful, I thought. He wouldn't look like a pack mule anymore.

While we were walking around, Maya saw this boutique which sells random things from adorable stuff toys to general books. She became interested on the cross-stitching kits which I was not sure if she wanted one for herself or for her grandmother. She saw a bunch of different patterns and became totally preoccupied picking the best one. As she was doing this, I looked around the shop, wondering if I could find something worthy to buy. I was tempted to buy this kit containing all the things you need to make your own customize teddy bear. I was always fond of teddy bears but was fascination enough to help me create a decent-looking teddy bear… I didn't think so considered all the awful marks I had in sewing class. Hence I went for the books instead.

In the back wall of the boutique perched a discrete wooden leg. On top of it were a collection of different prominent magazines; Forbes Magazine, Enterprise Magazine, Time Magazine, and many more, that have their editorial spot centered on Japan. Out of all the colorful magazines, only one that centered about nature caught my attention. Its cover showing a picture of canine-like specie with triangular ears and acute muzzle, standing on four feet on top of a rocky mount with its head held high in a manner that showed superiority.

I stopped short. It was the exact image of the animal I saw in my dream last night. The lone difference was the animal in the picture had dark-reddish fur in contrary to the one in my dream which had silvery-white. But I was damned sure they were of the same kind.

"What are you staring at?" I heard Maya's voice, interrupting my focus.

I turned to her; she was walking towards me, Shuichi close behind her step.

"That one," I pointed at the magazine.

"The one with the Japanese fox?" she asked, putting a name to the animal I was baffled at.

I nodded.

"You're interested in zoology?"

"No. It's the fox. I dreamt of one last night," I believed that was a dumb thing to say, but it was already said, "Weird, huh?"

"They say dreams have meaning," Maya mused out.

I shrugged. "The fox I dreamed of was a white one so perhaps it means something good," I smiled at the words I have said, finding it ironic. As if that "something good" could penetrate the bad luck barricade the world had set against me.

"White is associated with good, right?" I looked back at them. Maya got an unexplained fascinated look on her face but it was the odd expression that crossed Shuichi's face which I noticed.

"An Arctic fox…hmm…" Maya said, thoughtful.

I turned my eyes back to the magazine. Whatever it was, it was just a dream. And like any dream, I was sure I was going to forget.

As Maya paid at the counter with Shuichi, I lingered near the shop's windows, watching the people passing on the street through the glass. Turning my gaze at the other side of the road, I caught the sight of a tall boy walking with a familiar baseball cap—our school's logo embedded on it.

My breath caught for a moment in my throat, hopeful that that "something good" was meant for this unexpected opportunity that I'd stumble across Takeshi. But as I looked closer, I noticed it wasn't him. This boy was too thin and the hair was long under the hat. If I wasn't wrong, it was Keichi Kaede from second year.

I ran outside the boutique and called him, "Hey, Keichi!"

The boy stopped and looked around the street. I waved my hand over my head as I watched him turned to my direction. He spotted me and scrutinized me. It was clear he wanted to recognize me but I could tell by his gaze that he was having a hard time.

I ran to meet him.

"Shiratomi Yotsuba, remember? I always come to your practices," I said as I stopped in front of him. I thought it was prudent to introduce myself knowing it might help him to recognize me. And he did—only in a different sort of way.

"Oh, yeah, I think I remember you. You're Haato's girlfriend," he said with an impish smile.

I grimaced. I knew it would be something like that.

"No, I'm not his girlfriend. I'm his best friend."

He shrugged.

"Where's the game?" I asked gesturing at the wooden baseball bat he was carrying. "At the Iwaki Park…?" I guessed, naming the park where I often saw kids playing baseball.

He raised an eyebrow. "Nope, we have practice today in school. Didn't Takeshi tell you?"

"No, he didn't mention anything."

"Oh," was all he could mumble, looking warily at me.

Just then a thought hit me like a bolt of lightning. I looked back at the boutique as the thought take its shape; I could go with Keichi to the practice instead of suffering two more hours of dreariness with Shuichi Minamino and Maya Kitajima. Aside from that and the benefit of seeing Takeshi, upon leaving them alone, I was also giving a gift to Maya more precious than any jade—a time alone with Shuichi. It was like hitting three birds with one stone.

Actually, if only she had been perspective enough to see it I was giving that chance to her since yesterday but she blew it when she persisted that I should join them today. She was lucky today's events gave me an opportunity to grant her silent wish. I'd be like her own version of Cinderella's fairy godmother.

"I think I'll go with you," I told Keichi. "Just wait here. I'll just say goodbye to my friends."

He looked ambivalent but he acquiesced.

I gleefully ran back to the boutique, finding Maya and Shuichi about to step out. I blocked them before the doorway, being cautious for them not to be seen by Keichi.

"I've got an errand to run," I announced, trying to sound apologetic which was hard when I feel so happy knowing I was going to see Takeshi. "I saw Keichi Kaede outside and he told me the baseball team has a practice. He's waiting outside, actually."

"What team?" Maya queried.

"Yotsuba helps the baseball team of our school, Maya," Shuichi explained to her.

Maya turned back to me. "Do you really need to go?" she asked, disappointed.

"Yeah, I need to," I replied to her, smiling. _I need to go_ for you to be alone with Shuichi.

"Oh, jeez," Maya grumbled. "What are we going to do now?"

"Shop, walk around, do whatever you like," I said. "I know you miss this city a lot. Don't spoil the day because I have to leave. And besides, I'm sure both of you will have a great time. It's been years since you two been together, right? Then this is a great time for you to bond."

Maya turned red as a tomato. "But…ah…uh…"

"Come on," I placed both of my hands in her shoulders. "You two enjoy the rest of the day."

Maya shifted her eyes anxiously, avoiding a direct look at me.

"I don't know if it's okay…with…Shuichi," she stammered.

"Of course, it is," I persisted. It should be okay with him. It better be.

Maya looked back at me, her expression doubtful. Damn, where was her courage earlier? Where was the girl who had the audacity to grab Shuichi's arm?

I sighed and decided to handle the situation myself. I knew better than to trust an over-infatuated, marshmallow girl with this one. She might screw it again.

I turned to Shuichi and popped my eyebrows up and down in a suggestive manner, "Am I right, Shuichi?"

"Well, yes," he answered, smiling crookedly.

"See," I smiled widely at Maya, delighted with my immediate success. "You two enjoy then. Bye!" With that, I turned my back to them and hastily ran outside to meet Keichi—only to encounter another conflict.

"Hey, is that Minamino-san you were talking to?" was Keichi's first remark which almost made do a volte face. Damn. He saw Shuichi, recognized him. What should I do now? He shouldn't know my connection to that guy. No one should.

I took a deep breath.

"W_h_o?" I asked him again.

"Shuichi Minamino—the one with the red hair…"

"And who is that?" I stared at him, my face full of false bafflement. "I was talking to a girl, you know. Not to a boy. What on Earth are you talking about?"

His brows furrowed. "But I'm sure that's him."

"And I'm also _sure_ that's _not_ him," I shot back, sarcastically. "I _don't_ even know who that guy is."

Lying—no easy resort than this one, people! Let them say the soul of the liars go to hell, I'd rather pick that than to have my butt suffer hell while I still lived here on Earth.

Keichi stared at me with a dubious expression. "Are you sure you don't know him? He's a senior like you. The guy from class 1 who always the top the major exams, the genius one."

"Yeah, and I'm the wizard of Oz," I replied back, sardonically.

He rolled his eyes.

"Are you going to the practice or not?"

"I am."

"Then let's go," I firmly said. "You're completely wasting your time and more preciously _my time_ blabbering about nonsense."

He scowled at that but otherwise, he shrugged and we went off.

When we reached the school, the practice had already started. The team captain easily spotted us and gave me a contemptuous look I was beginning to get use to. I knew he didn't like me very much. He hated it that Takeshi listens to my orders more than him—an interventionist, you might say. He shouldn't blame me though, that trait runs in the family.

He came to meet us.

"Why are you late, huh?" he curtly asked to Keichi after giving me a fleeting look that shouted the words 'what-on-Earth-is-this-girl-doing-here-again'. "I told you all to be early. Don't you know how long you've been late, Kaede?"

"Sorry, captain," Keichi apologized. "I promise I won't—"

"I don't need your explanation," he rudely cut off Keichi.

I rolled my eyes dramatically. Here he was again, playing major pain in the bucket.

"Don't scold the kid," I wedged in. "It was my fault. I happened to saw him walking across the street and told him to wait for me. So put the blame on me, captain."

The captain glared at me, his eyes narrowed to slits. I stared back at him and squared my shoulders.

"You should know where to place yourself here, Ms. Shiratomi," he seriously said to me.

"Don't worry; I know where exactly to place myself. How about you? Shouldn't you be in that field and start doing your job as the captain of the team, _captain_?"

"You don't need to remind me," he grumbled and then walked away from us.

"Thanks," Keichi said as I watched the team captain walked into the field much crankier than ever.

I smiled at him. "No sweat, pal. I'm a pro at handling those kinds of people."

He chuckled and ran to the field.

I walked and settled myself on the benches. Takeshi hadn't notice me yet which was a good thing. I didn't want to distract him and ruin the practice game especially when I had just ticked off their team captain.

"Batter up!" the team captain shouted.

Takeshi was on the pitcher's mound, a ball in his hand. He stood straight, his face impassive, his stance attentive. It was easy to tell that he was serious—a very rare thing to see. I watched intently as he held the ball in both hands at his waist, and then, like the strike of a snake, his right hand flicked out and the ball smacked into the catcher's mitted hands.

"Strike one!"

The catcher hurled the ball back to Takeshi. He permitted himself a brief grin. And then his hand spun out. The hitter swung the wooden bat but hit on nothing as the ball met with the catcher's hand into another strike.

"Strike two!"

Takeshi's team were beginning to hoot already while the hitter of the battling field looked like he was about to concede.

Takeshi caught the ball back in his hand which was thrown by the catcher and raised it high.

"Last one, Moto!" he shouted exultantly either to the hitter or the catcher.

This time Takeshi had a different approach, with a playful smile, he gripped the ball in a strange manner; his hand formed a "C shape" as if he was holding a glass, and then with a quick movement snapped his arm and wrist in a downward motion causing the ball to dive in a downward path.

I thought it was a wrong pitch but the ball reached the plate smoothly without the hitter ever hitting it. It was a wild pitch!

"Strike three, you're out!"

"And that people is what you call Takeshi's famous curve-ball throw!" Yuki, a freshman student (also a member of the baseball club) who always follows Takeshi around, shouted.

Takeshi's team cheered and gave him high fives.

I was stunned. It was the first time I saw him played like this. I always heard people say how good he was but never did I imagine he was _this_ good. He always seemed to play sloppily during the practices I had watched. Now it made sense why the team captain never tried to take him down though how many times he skipped their practices. He was a big investment in the team. The team couldn't afford to lose a talent like him.

Takeshi saw me and I smiled. He smiled back and waved his arm. He ran to my direction after getting a towel from Yuki.

"Whaddya doing here?" he asked me as he sat down to the spot next to me. He was sweating bullets and seemed pretty tired but there was this big smile in his face that told me he was enjoying things.

"Watching you play," I answered him, nonchalantly.

He laughed as he wiped the sweat on his forehead, "Sarcastic much. What I mean is what led you to this place? I didn't tell you anything about today's practice."

"Well, luckily, I happen to stumble upon Mr. Keichi Kaede of second year and he told me about the practice so I decided to drop by," I told him.

"Keichi stays in Moshiyori. I thought you were on your Auntie's house."

I rolled my eyes. He was beginning to sound like an inquisitive father.

"Didn't know you have some hidden paternal instinct, Takeshi," I teased.

"Funny pun, Yotsu-chan," he said to me. "Seriously, what are you doing there?"

"Playing Ms. Chaperone for my Auntie's son and his childhood friend that is," I said to him. It quite surprised me how the tone came out sounding irritated.

Takeshi laughed out loud. "You…? My, have the world tilted last night?"

I frowned. "Not that I liked it."

"I know, I know," he said, trying to stop chortling. "So you saw Keichi in Moshiyori."

I nodded. "Yes, he saved my life, owe him big."

He chuckled.

I looked away from Takeshi and caught the sight of the team captain glowering sternly at me.

I frowned, "I think captain's missing you already."

"Let him be," he answered, deadpanned—his mouth twitched in an uncharacteristic frown—he was irritated. "He's such a grouch today, giving everyone a coronary yell. He's starting to get in my nerves."

This time, I was the one who laughed. It was unusual to see him like this. He was the type of person who could see the sunny side of everything. I had no idea how he does it but his optimism was simply remarkable—seeing him annoyed was as amusing as he finds my pessimism humorous.

"So Mr. Captain got PMS, giving little Takeshi a hard time, huh?" I cooed. "Poor little Takeshi boy."

He frowned and ruffled my hair.

"Anyhow, what's new with you?" he asked after he was done making my hair a complete mess. I tried to get even but he gripped both of my wrists together in one hand. Oh, how I hated it that the Y chromosomes were stronger than the X.

"Nothing," I said, struggling to get my hands off him. "Except for one thing…" I trailed off, as a thought suddenly came bumping into my mind.

"And what is that?" he asked, finally letting go of me.

I rubbed my left wrist as I answered him, "I dreamed of something. A friend of mine told me dreams have meanings. And I was thinking that since your grandfather is a high priest, you might have an idea about it."

I didn't know why but the idea came to my mind. Not to mention that I was a little curious too about the meaning of that dream. Maya planted the seed of curiosity.

"What dream?" he raised an eyebrow.

"I dreamed of an animal," I answered him.

"What exactly did you dream of? What type of animal?"

"A fox," I answered him. For a brief second, he looked at me strangely then shook his head as if shaking out a bizarre thought off his mind with a smile on his lips.

"A fox…well…hmm…it symbolizes cunning, intelligence and uhm…awareness," he proceeded to answer me, thoughtful. "Though I think in dreams they are interpreted as an opportunity."

"Well in my dream, the fox was inside a cave and it was looking directly at me with intelligent eyes," I rambled on and realized how stupid it might have sound like. "Doesn't sound much like an opportunity…"

I shook my head.

Takeshi shrugged. "But you know there's another interpretation to that…" he paused dramatically and then with an ominous voice continued, "Dreaming of a fox may also mean that your subconscious mind is telling you that an unseen entity inhabits in your place—a spirit fox."

I stared out at the field, not sure what my face was exposing. I was a cynic, never believed in the supernatural or any kinds of imaginary myths. But one thing was sure, what Takeshi said gave me the chills in an irrational way—I didn't even know what a fox spirit was, in the first place.

I shrugged off the feeling.

"Yes, and it's going to eat me, right?" I said to him, mockingly. "You know me well Takeshi. I don't believe in such crap."

"Some things are true whether you believe in them or not," he quoted.

I ignored him.

"But you're _no_ psychic so don't worry," he continued, jokingly. "You'll never see it."

I frowned at that. It was such an ironic foil to what Maya had said to me back in the theater.

"Yeah, thank heavens," I muttered, satirically and turned my attention back to the baseball field. The team was starting another game and as I watched the players get to place, a silly thought knocked into my head.

A fox… symbolizes shrewdness and being cunning, huh. Why did those characteristics reminded of someone? He was indeed a clever lad—and that related to being shrewd, right? Maybe Takeshi's second interpretation had hit the nail on the head in a different sense.

Though of course, he was a not a white fox _but_ a _red_-fox.

I laughed internally at the wittiness of it all.

Funny pun!


	8. Chapter 7: Nightmare

**Yay! Glad I finished this uber hard chapter of all! Chapter 7-Nightmare! Yes, this is the chapter that is going to change it all. I'm so happy I finished it before Xmas day. Ohohoho! Consider it my Xmas gift, dear readers for having the patience to keep up with my slow updates. Sorry, college girl here you see. But don't scowl like that, this isn't just the gift I laid in store for you. "Secretly Foxy" also now has its own page in Facebook, like it and see the updates and pics of my OCs. Another thing, I spend the last month making this story trailer video for Secretly Foxy and you can watch it in Youtube; the link is in my profile. To see the whole summary of Secretly Foxy and the memorable quotes of my lovely OCs, you can visit my blog Dweirdizmify.**

**Hope everyone have a happy holidays! Thanks for all the reviews and support! And for that, I have another surprise for you! Ohohoho! And that is a special story of how Yotsuba and Shuichi first met! Its going to be posted a day after Xmas! Hope you look forward to it!**

**Now without further adieu, let me proudly present you the latest chapter of Secretly Foxy, Chapter 7 - Nightmare.**

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**7. Nightmare**

SOMETHING FELT OFF that morning from the moment I opened my eyes. My body felt heavy, lethargic as if I didn't have any sleep. Every muscles and limbs felt stiff like I haven't moved the entire night. Surprising how in the course of less than six hours I was turned into a full personified sloth. I moaned. I just wished this sluggishness wouldn't lead to sickness. I couldn't afford to be sick, especially not now when the school festival was about to come around.

I sighed and sat up to look at the window. To my surprise, it was still dark; the sun hadn't even peeked over the horizon yet. Disoriented, I turned to the digital clock on the desk, flashing red numbers: Four six A.M.

I held my forehead and groaned. No wonder I felt off. I was never used to waking up this early—well, not back in our house. It seemed like something in the Minaminos residence always caused me to wake up at the crack of dawn.

Sloppily, I laid back into the bed and rolled to my side. Since it was still fifty-six minutes earlier for me to go get up from bed, perhaps it wouldn't hurt if I just close my eyes and take a nap for a while…

I didn't know if I had totally conked out or was still lightly sleeping when my vision changed from total darkness into a dead forest. A familiar ominous forest… the same place I had been strangely dreaming for the past two consecutive nights. But as I started wandering around the forest, I became quickly aware that this was not going to be the same dream. For one thing, there was no cave but only myriad of unnerving-looking distorted trees. And second, was the eerie howling sound in the wind. There were no sounds in my past dreams.

A second later, a certain movement caught my peripheral. I turned into its direction and totally froze into my place to what I saw; it was a dark ominous shadow…approaching me. Panic shot through me, my instinct telling me that whatever that shadow was, it was dangerous and it would bring harm. And I should run. But I was completely glued into my place, couldn't move my feet, my hands. I couldn't even shout.

I closed my eyes and tried to pray in my head, calling for whatever celestial entity was out there that could spare me from this situation. Gradually, the eerie howling faded until it turned nothing more than a low hum then ended.

Under the impression that I was safe, I slowly opened my eyes and saw bloody red eyes staring at me, lips curving into a menacing smile.

!

I jerked upright out of my bed, panting for breath.

It was just a dream.

Just a bad dream, I thought as I tried to calm down.

I was in my room, completely safe. Not in that ominous dead forest, no, I was no in that dark place. It was completely bright in here with the clear yellow light streaming through my window coming from the morning sun. _Morning sun_—why did those words seemed to ring in my ears? Oh. Crap. What time was it already?

I threw a frantic look at the digital alarm clock and almost screamed. It was already seven-fifteen.

Harried, I scrambled out of bed, almost tripping over the pile of books lying on the floor on my way to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth then took my shower, trying to be thorough and speedy at the same time. As soon as I was finished, I shut off the water, toweling hastily, rushing again.

Getting my uniform from the closet, I pulled on my white shirt, cherry-red skirt and knee-length black socks. I didn't know which one I should be worried about, being late in class or having to walking Shuichi on my way to school. Neither of them sounded good to me.

I rubbed the towel through my hair, and then yanked the brush through it quickly. I threw the towel in the hamper and flung the brush in my bed. Finally fetching the blazer to my uniform, I shove my arms through the sleeves, yanked my leather bag and then race out of my room with the intent of leaving the house unnoticed. Yeah, it was rude but it was the only way I could do to avoid going to class with Shuichi.

But as always, luck was allergic to me. Halfway down the stairs, I heard Auntie Shiori called my name from the kitchen.

"Yotsuba…?"

Crap. She heard me. I thought and smacked my head. Now what?

"Hai, it's me, Auntie Shiori," I answered her, hesitating. So much for leaving the house unnoticed.

"Don't forget to eat your breakfast," she reminded me.

My ears perked up. Breakfast—right… Shuichi might still be eating his breakfast. I could still avoid him. _'Just say to her, you're going late for the baseball practice and had to skip breakfast'_, my conspiratorial side implied. Yes, that was perfect.

I tiptoed my way to the kitchen, fastening the buttons of my blazers and brushed its sleeve to smooth it out from any wrinkles. I stopped in front of the doorway and looked inside only to be surprised to see little Shuichi and Auntie Shiori in the table minus Mr. Hatanaka and the Red-head devil, Shuichi.

"Uh…good…mo_rn_ing," I stammered, looking around to be certain _he_ wasn't around.

"Good morning to you too, Yotsuba," Auntie Shiori said, pulling the chair next to her. "Come and join us."

"Where are Shuichi and Mr. Hatanaka?"

"Kazuya left earlier to organize an appointment with some of his clients while Shuichi has to meet with his classmates for a special project."

I nodded, quite taken-aback for the sudden hit of luck. So he went to school earlier.

Turning to my watch, I decided it was okay for me to eat first before going. Besides, I could just skip going to the baseball practice today. I owed the captain to be free from my disturbing presence once in a while.

I sat in the table next to Auntie Shiori after putting my leather bag aside and joined them for breakfast. I complimented Auntie Shiori for the delicious, crispy golden brown waffles and fondly noting little Shuichi's appetite for them. It was a light atmosphere to be in, having breakfast with little Shuichi and Auntie Shiori there. Since I was going to school earlier for the baseball practices, I never really ate breakfast with the Minaminos/Hatanakas during schooldays. It was kind of nice to have a change—of course; it was because Shuichi wasn't there.

After we finished eating, I left the house with little Shuichi.

The weather was getting colder due to the coming season, and I knew there was no sense fretting over the gloomy clouds darkening the skies but something about them seemed to bring back the strange mood I felt earlier.

Little Shuichi noticed.

"Hey, something wrong, Yotsuba-chan?" he asked as we passed across the street.

"No," I lied to him. "Why'd you ask?"

"Uh…nothing," he said his tone unconvinced. "You just looked kind of agitated or something."

"Agitated which means… I look like hell?" I asked him, sarcastically, but putting a hint of humor in it.

"No…" he trailed off then guffawed, "Worse than that."

I smirked and tried to ruffle his hair. We continued teasing, poking each other in the ribs as we walked, lightening my mood a bit. Little Shuichi was fun to be with, like Takeshi he had this warm vibe making him easy to get along with. Maybe it was their cheerful side. Whatever it was, it was certainly of use for the gloomy Gus.

But as little Shuichi went on his way to school, separate from mine, the strange mood slowly crept its way back to my bones. It made me nervous for no apparent reason as if something wrong was going to happen any second and it felt like I was waiting for it to pull the rug over me. It was disturbing. And it seemed to go overboard when I reached school.

I was changing my shoes to slippers on the locker area when suddenly I felt a cold chilling sensation slithered on the back of my neck like cold fingertips trying to tickle me with the lightest touch only it didn't felt that way. It prickled like tiny needles and freaked me out. I almost jumped off my skin, dropping my shoes on the floor.

A guy near me saw this and putted a hand on my shoulder.

"Hey, you alright?" he asked, eyeing me curiously.

I blinked twice and nodded.

"Yeah… I think so…" I said as I picked up my shoes and rubbed my neck with my other hand, trying to warm it up.

He raised an eyebrow.

"I just felt cold," I lied to him and tried to smile.

With that, he smiled back and left.

I placed my shoes inside the locker and continued rubbing my neck. Jeez, what on earth was that? And where the hell did that breeze came from? It wasn't like Meio could install an air-conditioning system overnight.

After closing my locker, I looked around and searched for any air vent that could possibly explain where the odd draft came but I couldn't find one. Suddenly, a slithering sensation crept in my whole body which made me shudder and instinctively felt the need to hug myself.

Freaking hell, what was happening here? Was it just this place beginning to be creepy or was it me trying to freak myself out with a silly draft?

Shaking my head, I took a deep breath and exhale. There must be an explanation to where that cold breeze came. It was probably just my strange mood that was causing all this anxiety—an erratic mood that might have been caused by my irregular sleeping pattern lately. Yes, that was it. There was no other explanation than that…other than, well, PMS.

I shook the thought off and headed upstairs to our room. The hallway was almost clear of students besides from those who had just arrived like me, who were already running. Confused, I glanced at my watch and was horrified to see I was about to be late in my first class, and ended up running as well.

But when I arrived in the room, only a few number students were there. Even Takeshi was not there. I slowly closed the door and looked for a familiar face I could ask to what was going on and where were the others. Was there an event or activity for today I failed to remember? But Naomi, my remaining other friend, was nowhere to be seen either.

I went quietly to my chair and sat down; that was when I notice a timid-looking girl out of the corner of my eye—Hana Sumeragi. She was one of Naomi's hundred of friends if I was not mistaken, a member of the Science Club. I remembered once commenting about how she managed to keep up with that club together with its weirdo club president and his two psycho sidekicks. According to one story, those three once tried to do their damned-nest to get Shuichi to join their club even going further by cornering him in the laboratory. Fortunately, Shuichi's friend, from that notorious school across the city, came to his rescue. I even heard that he literally broke the door of our lab to stop them. Of course, I didn't bother to know if the story was true or not, but it did made the three infamous.

Well, away from that, Hana Sumeragi was also a transferee student from Malaysia. Naomi told us once that her family migrated there when she was young for her father's work. Like Naomi, she also had a brother here in school, who was a freshman student.

I shifted my chair on her direction. It wouldn't be hard to talk to her even though I was here. The classroom was barely noisy.

"Hana-san," I called out to her but she didn't turn to me or respond. It seemed like she was busy doodling shapes on her notebook or sketchpad, whatever that was.

"Hana-san," I called again, making my voice a bit louder. This time, her head snapped up and she turned to my direction.

I perked up a smile. "Hi!"

She gawked at me for a moment as if unsure that I was talking to her, and then recovered herself, blanking rapidly. "Uh…hello…" her voice was barely a whisper, I hardly heard it. If not for the movement of her lips, I wouldn't have understood what she said.

It might had been a surprise for her that I was talking to her which I rarely do (especially if the matter wasn't school related)—well, not only to her though but to the other forty-one students in our room except Takeshi and Naomi…and the blond-imp, Megumi Kasegawa, which I hardly had a nice conversation with, anyway.

"Where are the others?" I asked her.

She looked around the room first before turning back to me. "The hall monitor went in minutes earlier and announced Ms. Sawada isn't going to be here. Apparently, she got flu. He told us to either stay here or we can choose to go to our respective clubs."

"Oh, I see," was all I could reply.

She smiled.

So Takeshi might still be practicing baseball while Naomi could either be stuck writing articles for the school newspaper or surveying the school halls for juicy news.

I looked back at Hana, who was still looking at me. Though I was barely unacquainted to her, I had this comfortable feeling towards her. It was the friendly smile on her face and the candor of her soft brown eyes. I knew she was someone that could be trusted and was worthy to be called a friend.

"Thanks," I smiled at her, stood up and then sat to the empty chair next to me, closer to her. "I saw you being so focused drawing something."

"Oh, this one," she pointed out to the notebook on her lap which was actually a sketchpad.

"Yes, I didn't know you can draw," I said, trying to peek at her work.

She blushed. "I love drawing, actually."

"Can I see it?" I asked her. I didn't know if I was making her comfortable with what I was doing but if I was being candid, I actually want to know more about her. I knew I earned a not-so decent reputation when it come to socializing, being the sarcastic and cynic type, but that didn't mean it was impossible for me to befriend this girl. I knew when to be charming when I wanted to be.

She hesitated for a second and then handed me the sketchpad. It was a picture of a guy with long hair, wearing casual clothes and was sitting on a bench. I never knew so much about drawing or sketching and never had an interest on it but I could tell her drawing was good. It was better compared to others. Takeshi could draw but I bet even he couldn't draw anything like this. His drawing skill was hopelessly stuck in the stickman category.

As I took in the drawing, my brows pulled together as I tend to notice something. The guy in the drawing looked familiar; with its long locks and androgynous face, he really reminds me of…

"Uhmm…what do you think, Yotsuba-san?" she said, her voice a tad nervous.

"You know, Hana-san, I do like it but…" I trailed off, not wanting to offend her with I was about to say. I didn't know exactly what she felt about that guy in the first place.

"But what…?" she raised an eyebrow.

"He's sort of looked like…_Mi_namino," I told her.

"Really?" she asked and to my surprise, she was rather flattered by remark. "Wow, you're the first one who actually noticed it. I never really think it looks like him _at all_."

"Is that so," I feigned on a nice smile at the girl, masking my disappointment.

_Great._ Another Shuichi fan. Damn, their population was getting bigger. I wondered what was stopping them from creating a sissy fans club of their own. I wouldn't mind being an ass and play the role of their main adversary.

I decided to change the topic and asked her about some other things instead. We talked about her family and the life she had in Malaysia. I figured out we shared some things in common too like how she loved reading books and listened to the same genre of music. We kept talking until the bell rang, signaling the end of the first class.

"Hate to cut our talk, Hana-san, but I think I should go back to my place now before Hibari from Hell arrive," I told her as I stood up. "I don't want to tick that one off considered he's not my biggest fan."

Hana giggled. "Don't worry. We can continue talking later at lunch, if you like?"

"Sure, no problem," I smiled at her and sat back to my chair, contentedly.

I took my Calculus book out of my bag and placed them on the table then watched the students entering the room, waiting for Takeshi and Naomi to arrive. After a few seconds, Naomi came in together with her camera. When she saw me, she waved and smiled before sitting at her chair. It seemed I was right about her running around looking for some hot stuff to write in the school newspaper... But where was Takeshi? He didn't mention anything about him being absent today. I wondered to myself if his practice was running late—until I saw Oda Imamura, Takeshi's teammate, entered the room.

Anxious, I stood up from my chair and waved my hand at Oda.

"Hey, Oda," I called him.

He heard me at once and turned his head.

"Where's Takeshi?" I asked. "Did he attend the practice?"

Oda shook his head. "No," he answered and then smirked. "I thought he _was_ with you."

I ignored his jibe and sat down as desolation hit me. If Takeshi didn't attend their morning practice then that could only mean one thing, he _really_ was absent. I deeply sighed and rested my head on the table.

_Unexplainable bad mood, one hell of a bad dream, freaky experience in the locker area and absent best friend… Sheesh, what a freaking _great_ day it is!_

My morning classes passed slowly, dismally. I tried to concentrate on my classes, but not even English could hold my attention. When Ms. Hisami questioned me on the passage of William Wordsworth we were reading, I splayed my hands because I didn't have the answer she was looking for. I could tell she was startled by it since I excelled in this subject and she favored me well.

The same went for my other classes. Thankfully, none of the teachers questioned my abstraction and let me be. Even Hibari didn't waste any of his precious time on me. In ordinary days, this would make me happy, but today it meant nothing more than a consolation for this gloom day.

At lunch time, my mood worsened. I grew increasingly nervous, anxious, worried. Even though Naomi and Hana shared table with me, I couldn't eat more than a mouthful or two of my food.

Naomi noted this and scolded me for playing with my food.

"Don't do that in front of the table," she rebuked, shoving my hand where I was resting my chin on. "It attracts bad luck."

I frowned.

_Attracts bad luck?_ Was she trying to make me laugh? Bad luck was a part of me. I didn't need to attract it because I myself was a charm for it. A bad luck charm—that was. And I would take a shot to assume that a great deal of my existence had to do with humoring the inhabitants of Heaven. It was the sensible thing I could see as an explanation for giving me such an appalling gift.

"Jeez, Yotsuba, look at yourself," Naomi continued, reproaching. "It seemed like some entity seeped all the energy out of your body. What's wrong with you?"

I slowly turned my eyes on her, resting my chin back on my hand, "Nothing."

"It doesn't seem that way," she answered back, sarcasm rich in her voice.

"Yes, Yotsuba-chan, you actually looked pale," Hana finally spoke, worried. "Are you sure you're not sick or what?"

I looked at my new friend and felt a stab of guilt. Here I was acting foolishly aloof while this two were worrying about me. Naomi was used to my sarcasm and I knew she would let it pass. But Hana was a different case. It would be prudent of me to quit being a jerk especially if I want to continue our developing friendship.

I shook my head and smiled a little smile, "I don't know. I just feel off."

"Because Takeshi isn't here," I heard Naomi muttered, giving me a snide smirk. "Come on! It would be healthy for your relationship if you guys cut a slack once in a while. You two are always to_get_her. I'm impressed you two aren't tired of each other yet."

"It's _because_ of the thing you called friendship, Naomi," I replied, deadpanned.

She rolled her eyes. "Sell that to somebody else. Why not start with the baseball team?"

I immediately processed what she was trying to imply and I scowled.

"Do they actually think something's going on between the two of us?" I asked in disbelief.

She nodded, smirking. "Not just them but a number of Takeshi's admirers as well. You would be surprise at the statistics of those who are itching to rip your hands off of him. And you know what, I think the only thing saving your butt is the fact that most of them thinks you're a tomboy."

I gulped and looked outside the window. I certainly didn't want to talk about these things. I knew it wasn't wise but it was better for a paranoid-prone individual like me to remain ignorant about it. I didn't want to suffer looking over my shoulder for stabbers every freaking second of my entire life.

I heard Naomi sniggered at my speechlessness and Hana telling her to stop teasing me. I ignored them and tried to amuse myself by looking at the clouds hovering in the sky. But not even they can suppress the bad feeling; actually, they looked ominous and threatening from here—being all dark and gray. You could just imagine those clouds being on top of a haunted mansion. Watching them only made me more disconcerted.

I might have really looked bad because before Mrs. Suu teacher of the next subject started her lecture, she noticed me and remarked that I looked sick. She was even humane enough to ask me if I was okay

"Ms. Shiratomi, are you all right?" Mrs. Suu asked.

"No," I answered her in a weak voice and shook my head. It was true, I wasn't feeling well. My chin was resting against the desk and my body seemed so heavy. Maybe I was coming up with a fever or flu, whatever it was one thing was sure, I was going to be sick.

"Are you feeling sick?"

"Yes," I muttered, raising my head.

"Can someone take Yotsuba to the clinic, please?" She called.

"I will," I heard Hana-san said and I could only thank Heavens enough that she was the one who volunteered to take me to the clinic. If Naomi was the one who did that, I'd suffer more of her nagging.

Hana helped me get up from my chair when suddenly vertigo hit me and I almost fell down. Luckily, I happened to held on to the desk just in time to support myself.

"Are you sure you can walk?" Mrs. Suu asked.

"Yes," I whispered. I could feel everyone staring at me now.

Hana assisted me on our way out of the room to the corridor. When we were about five rooms away from the room, another hit of vertigo struck me. This time it was immense that I nearly fell off my feet if Hana-san's arms weren't around me.

"Hey," a different voice called from a distance. "What's wrong with her, Sumeragi-san?"

"She's dizzy," Hana-san answered.

I tried to raise my head up and saw two black-haired nerds looking worriedly at me and another silhouette beside them which I couldn't recognize as my vision swirled and turned to a chaotic haze of red. I slumped over my side and closed my eyes. Damn, what was happening to me?

"Whoa, you need some help there?" another voice spoke, stressed.

"Oh my, Yotsuba-san, you look so pale," Hana-san said nervously.

I tried to smile at her, "Give me a minute, please?" I begged. I rested my cheek against the cold damp cement of the sidewalk and breathed slowly in and out through my mouth but even that didn't seem to help at all.

"I will carry her," this time the voice that spoke was hard not to recognize. No wonder my eyes saw red, the other silhouette belonged to him—Shuichi. Why of all people did he have to witness this? Now, it was impossible for me to keep this incident from Auntie Shiori. I groaned.

I heard his foot step closer and I cringed. There was no way not in heaven or in hell would I let him carry me to the clinic looking like a pathetic damsel in distress.

"No, no, no!" I cried, grabbing Hana-san's shoulder and force myself to stand up. I was glad Hana-san didn't stumble on my weight.

"Don't bother, I can walk," I said firmly though my knees felt like marshmallows. "You don't need to do that."

"Are you sure?" he asked. His voice was close to my head, and it sounded anxious. He was so close to me that I could feel the heat from his body. He smelled good, similar to a floral like scent but for some weird reason, it made my stomach rolled. I flinched away from him and clung tighter to Hana to get a hold of myself.

"Yes, yes," I whispered, still inching away from him without looking at him.

I felt him moved back and it quite relaxed me. I took a deep breath and turned slowly to Hana-san and told her, "Let's go," and she nodded.

With her supporting half of my weight, we continued walking, feeling their stares bored behind our backs. When we entered the clinic, I could hear Mrs. Yakama, the nurse gasped.

"Oh my, what happened?" she cried and immediately helped Hana-san to lie down on the nearest cot.

"She's a little faint, I think," Hana-san said. "She's been feeling a little off since lunch time."

The nurse nodded and turned to me, "Do you feel sick?"

I weakly nodded.

"Okay, just lie down for a minute, dear; it'll pass."

I sighed, putting an arm to cover my eyes. The nausea was fading but the headache seemed to worsen. My head whirled and I could hear the blood pounding faster than normal behind my ears. It felt like a vein in my head was about to burst any second. I took a deep breath and my nose wrinkled at the strong scent of medicines, I never liked the smell of it, it always disgusted me but I hardly in the position to complain so I chose to breathe in and out slowly through my mouth instead.

I felt the nurse put a pressure cuff on my arm, it tightened for a minute and slowly loosened as she checked my blood pressure.

"Hmm…are you kind of anemic, dear?" I heard her ask.

"No," I answered, feeling my brows pulled together. From the fast pounding of blood I could hear behind my ears, it was more probable that my blood pressure was high rather than low. Was the pressure cuff broken?

"Your blood pressure is low. You should take iron supplements and avoid sleeping too late at night," she stated. "I suggest you go home earlier for today and have some rest."

I was lost with the things she was saying, a small part of me wanting to logically debate and deny her findings, but I chose to nod instead. I didn't feel arguing this time with me feeling all dizzy and wobbly.

"Dear, can you kindly fetch her things from your room," the nurse said to Hana-san. "I'd rather she go back home earlier. What is her name?"

"Shiratomi, Yotsuba," Hana-san answered.

"Shiratomi, hmmm…" I heard the nurse murmured then a shuffling of papers. "Ah…here is her record. Give this note to your current teacher for her to be excuse from her remaining classes."

"Okay," Hana-san said and I heard the door opened then closed.

I stayed still in the cot and continued breathing slowly. I felt a little bad that Hana-san had to go with all these trouble because vertigo suddenly decided to play with me. I could only pray she wouldn't hate me for this.

"Can you give me the number of your parents, dear, so I can call them?" the nurse asked.

I frowned, "They happen to be in another country…"

"Oh, I see, then how about a number of your guardian?"

I bit my lip. There was no way I was going to involve Auntie Shiori with this thing. I didn't want her to worry. Besides, I know I could go home by myself.

"No, I don't have a guardian," I lied. "I live alone."

"You mean your parents left you alone?" the nurse asked, her tone held a note of contemplation, "For how long?"

"They're gone for a month," I reluctantly said. "They think I'm responsible enough to handle myself."

"Hmm…parents these days," I heard her clicked her tongue. "Oh well, do you know anyone who lives near your place? We could ask them to take you home."

Drat. That would be a great idea if I was going to go home, in our own place, but I was not. I was staying with the Minaminos and I hadn't lost my mind yet to let anyone know that—not even the nurse. Na-ah!

"Unfortunately, my best friend's absent too," I said to her.

"Hn, it seems your sickness hit you at a very wrong time, dear."

"I know right," I murmured, sarcastically, as if bad luck chose a proper time.

"What is that? Are you saying something, dear?"

"Nothing, I just think, I am fine now," I said, sitting up—just a little bit ringing in my ears, no spinning. The clinic walls stayed where they should. "Don't worry, I can go home. It's not far from here."

I could see she was about to make me lie back down but she didn't had the chance to as the door opened and came in Naomi with an angry momma hen's face towing a breathless Hana-san.

"What happened to you, huh?" Naomi demanded. "What are you doing to yourself? Hana just told me you were anemic. My, Yotsuba, I just wish Takeshi wouldn't hear of this or else you're a dead meat."

I frowned. Oh _great_, Momma Hen arrived just in time.

"You know you should have just stayed home when you felt something was wrong with you," she continued to scold, not bothering to notice the nurse's presence in the room.

"Excuse me," the nurse coughed. "And may I know who you are?"

"Oh," Naomi stopped and her face turned as red as a ripe tomato, "Sorry, Mrs. Yakama. I am Naomi Kazuya from Class 4 – 3. She's my friend."

The old nurse tried to smile decently at her.

"Here are her things, anyway," she said and brought down my bag. "Is she going to go home by herself?"

"Yes," I answered before the nurse could open her mouth. I hopped down to the cot and bowed at the old nurse. "Thanks for taking care of me. I'll go straight home and take iron supplements as you said."

I grabbed my leather bag then maneuvered out of the clinic with Naomi and Hana trailing behind.

"Jeez, I thought you were dizzy," Naomi remarked as the clinic door closed. "You were as fast as a fly."

I rolled my eyes at her, "You could say will was a bit helpful, I didn't want to stay there for another second."

"You sure you're going home by yourself?" Hana-san asked me, still worried.

"Yep," I nodded.

"Lost her mind," Naomi sarcastically muttered.

"I called you both later, considered that you've got Hana's phone number," I turned to Naomi. She nodded. "Good. Now time for the two of you to get back to class, don't worry about me, I can handle myself. Thank you especially to you, Hana-san."

I bowed at them, strapped on my school bag and left.

"Take care, Yotsuba-san," I heard Hana-san said after me.

I waved back at them and made my way to the locker room. I rushed to change my shoes, quite paranoid that the earlier incident might repeat itself. Though a bit dizzy, I managed to coherently make out my way back to the Minaminos Residence without a sweat. It was a long walk but I managed to remain upright until I reached their front door. I took the spare key under the eave, which was pointed out by Auntie Shiori in any case I happened arrive with no one home, and unlocked the door.

I was only about to step in when the hair on my neck suddenly rise and a nauseated feeling hit my stomach. Sudden fear overwhelmed me. I rushed inside the house, slammed the door hard and locked it.

My heart was beating so fast, I could hear the blood rushing behind my ears, making my head ache at the same time. My knees were trembling and I was panting for air. It was all illogical for me to feel this, but there was a dreadful fear creeping in my bones slowly, torturing me as if there was something nasty near me, watching at me, waiting for the perfect time to devour me.

It was downright silly. Maybe I was losing my mind… but I couldn't make myself calm. It was as if my reflexes were the one controlling my whole body anymore.

Taking a deep breath to compose myself, I tried to think rationally. I looked at the grandfather clock and calculated the hours remaining before little Shuichi comes home, two more hours and I wouldn't be alone anymore. Yes, two hours, that shouldn't be long. I could stay here in the living room, watch T.V. and wait. Yes, that ought to be it.

I exhaled and released the door knob. I walked slowly toward the sofa, dropped my leather bag when I felt a strong force hitting the back of my neck. It sent me stumbling down, my wrist hitting the hard edge of the coffee table but before I could even feel the pain it caused, my line of sight slowly darkened turned to complete nothingness…then into _oblivion._

* * *

In my dream, it was very dark. No light, not a speck of it. I couldn't see anything even my own hands. A dream that had no visuals, only sounds: a clanking of metals, light steps near me, some breathing and some murmuring voices. It was a very odd dream, but what made it stranger is that I could feel as if my I my whole body was lying in cold cement, I could smell the damp dirt and I could sense my nose wrinkling from it. My hands and feet felt cramped as if they are tied by something similar to a rope or a belt and the pain it was causing to my wrist and ankle felt real too.

I wanted to open my mouth but I couldn't.

It had no visuals but it was starting to freak me out.

I was about to try move my hand when I heard a chilling menacing voice near me and stopped me instantly.

"You think he'll come for this human?" the voice said.

I tried my best to remain still, whoever it was speaking, it was very near me. And some protective instinct told me it was safer to play dead instead. A logical part of me wanted to ignore this since this was just a dream, but my body wanted me to obey. I just couldn't resist it.

"Of course, he will," another voice spoke, but this time it was smaller, less menacing. "If not then we know what we ought to do with this one. This human seems special, a bit special than the others. I bet you could sense that?"

"Hmmm…" the first one said as if inhaling a delicate wine from a glass to distinguish it. "Smells good too, I bet her flesh would be one hell of a delicious meat for us with the plus side of making us stronger. I should complicate the fox for having quite a fine taste for seeking a human mate."

_Fox? Mate? Her flesh? Good heavens, what are they talking about? Are they talking about me? Eating me? Are these beings cannibals? And what fox are they talking about? Mate? I am no vixen!_

This dream was becoming complicated than ever and deathly scarier at the same time. I wished it would end very soon before I become the main dish for dinner.

"He's here! He's here!" a rattling, irritating voice shouted as I heard a sound of heavy metal being moved and its friction to the ground. "He's here!"

The last one was in panic and it was very obvious, he was scared for whoever it was that was coming. I could hear some gasps and could feel a sense of danger around, my stomach tightening. I could feel the sweats forming in my forehead and a chilling feeling crawling in my spine.

I felt like vomiting.

"You came at last, fox," the menacing voice of all shouted. "I was having the impression that you wouldn't come at all, considered that your species are inclined to be selfless creatures, caring only for themselves. It appears that either this human held some real interest to you or that you became a human yourself while staying here."

There was a long silence and I heard the owner of the menacing voice irritatingly clicked his tongue. "Oh, how I just hate it, when you look all so smug in that human face of yours. I could just feel the desire tingly in my hands to remove that."

Another silence and then with a loud voice he shouted, "Demons, attack!"

It surprised me to hear the amount of shouting that came in the next seconds. Shout of pain, torture, death, from different voices that resembles the voice of the other being that I heard earlier. It was ear-deafening, I couldn't help not to wince, but in between those shouts, I could hear a distinct sound that was different, something that resembles to a strong force of wind, a whipping slash sound.

Seconds later, the strange whipping slash ended and only moaning of agonies was left.

"You rascal, how dare you—"the menacing voice shouted as I could imagine him attacking his opponent. There was another whipping slash sound and then a large noise of something hitting a very hard material, boxes perhaps, destroying it at the same process.

There was a painful groan from the former and then he said the words that instantly made my blood cold, "If I couldn't kill you then I will _kill _the girl instead."

Though he didn't directly refer to me, my heartbeat rose but what strange occurrence that I could hear the steps, the fast steps of someone running fast for me—someone rushing for me with the main intention of annihilating me.

I bit my lip really hard and then I felt a strong gust of wind directly hit my face, and I could feel a sharp pointed thing touching the tip of my nose. It was sharp yet whatever stopped it, made it in time not to damage my skin.

"Such guts you have, demon, to consider hurting this innocent girl," another voice spoke. It was so close to me, so familiar. It was impossible for me not to recognize it. It was velvety, it was soothing, and the very last voice I was expecting to hear. It was Shuichi's voice—Shuichi's Minamino's voice. "She has nothing to do with me or any affairs I had with you or your master. I shall not forgive you."

A crack of bones followed and a high-pitched shriek filled my ears. It was sickening.

"Y-y-you f-f-f-o-x…demon, damn you to the deepest pit of hell, you are a traitor, turning your back on your race to be like this," the menacing voice turned low, trembling. "You ARE pathetic, my master was right."

Another snapping sound and a loud shout of pain, "Who do you take orders from?"

"Y-y-o-u-u-ko Kurama, no matter how you hide your true form… no matter how great you act as a mere human, live peacefully here… you can never ever turn back to what you really are. To who you really are…" the voice continued.

Fox demon? Youko Kurama? I was a hundred percent sure the voice I heard was from Shuichi not from a fox demon named Youko Kurama.

"You can turn your back on those things, but they will follow you… torture you… and now they are coming for you…" I could hear the menacing tone there in his trembling voice, scarier than earlier and caused me goose bumps. "They're here…"

There was a soft gasp and then silence—the silence of death.

I heard a soft sigh from Shuichi…or whoever it was that sounded like him. Suddenly, the binds that I felt constricting my hands and feet were removed. A soft cloth brushed near my temples and cheeks away from my face and then a warm hand lie softly on my forehead as if checking if I got a fever. It stayed there for what seemed a long time until I felt a heavy lassitude suddenly seeping through my body; my brain becoming incoherent.

Two lean arms slipped under my knees and behind my back, carrying me. I could feel a warm chest undeniably close to me, heaving slowly and the faint smell of aromatic rose. My eyelids felt heavy but with all the strength I have, I tried to open it slowly, my line of vision was pathetic; every edges blurry but I could distinguish something red and green.

My eyelids closed and I let myself fall into a deep stupor.

_Yes,_ my savior had red locks and green eyes—those of _Shuichi Minamino_. Of that I was sure.

* * *

**So what you think, people? I enjoyed writing the last part! Poor Yotsuba being kidnapped by those malicious demons! Lucky though she didn't see their faces and the whole fighting scenes, she might end up catatonic. It was hard writing this chapter because I know nothing about action, the no visual part save me I should say. Ahahaha!**

**I could say this is my best-done chapter of all, not my favorite, but I consider it as my best because it was the damnest of all! Yes! Ugh! And I hate not having to write Takeshi here! I miss the guy! Yes, Kurama, I am betraying you because I like Takeshi more in this story! Ohoho!**

**Hmm...so what more can I say, hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! Don't forget to leave reviews on your way out! Consider it as your Xmas gift for me and Yotsuba! Ohohoho! Yes, I'm crazy, deal with it.!**

**Happy Holidays, people! May you all have a wonderful Christmas!**

**X.O.X.O.**

**Dweirdizme**


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